Asking her out
by ZelgadisGW
Summary: At the beginning of the second year on U.A, Shouto Todoroki finds himself liking Momo Yaoyorozu. With their mutual respect, asking her out should be a piece of cake... if only Shouto was better at handling matters like this. Join him and see if he'll figure it out. Obviously TodoMomo, rated T for language. Story is pretty much complete. Only omake-like epilogue remains.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey there!_

 _I present you the first chapter of my My Hero Academia fanfiction. The pairing is obviously about Shouto Todoroki and Momo Yaoyorozu and it would be told mostly from Shouto's perspective, as I find him interesting to write in this particular topic._

 _I hope you'll have a good time with reading this!_

 _\- ZelgadisGW_

* * *

"DROP DEAD!" Katsuki Bakugo shouted, ordering his character to execute its most dangerous attack. But the assault missed its mark and the opposing character responded in her own ultimate move, resulting in...

"FINISH!"

"Hah! I won, Bakugo!" Uraraka said triumphantly, as her opponent just started to throw his usual tantrum. But nobody from entire class 2-A gathered around the TV screen in the common room seemed to mind. Bakugo being loud was just another day.

"Bakugo-kun! It's already late! Please quiet down, this instant!" Iida said in commanding voice and with stiff movements of his hands, being the only one who not only minded Bakugo's behaviour, but also the fact it was past 10PM already.

Shouto Todoroki couldn't care less, watching as Bakugo and Uraraka left the their spots and being replaced with Shoji and Mineta as the next pair to play the game (and apparently the most skilled one in gaming). Shouto sighed internally, wondering what was he even doing here...

After the class started their second year on U.A, somebody threw an idea to buy a gaming console for the next two years of living in the dorms. The idea seemed not practical at first, but with the budget being divided into twenty people, the price was actually very low. Trying to be better friend and classmate, Shouto also contributed his money to this cause, even if he himself didn't intend to play. The class ended up buying a console and a few games, the fighting game they were playing right now among them. But he, he wasn't just interested in games... It's not like gaming consoles were ever a thing in Todoroki household. The young aspiring hero shook his head and looked around.

Apparently, Shouto couldn't help but notice, he wasn't the only one not really interested in games. There was Yaoyorozu. Apparently, the rich girl contributed to the console (and games) because of similar reasons to Todoroki, minus the fact she was much more social than him in the first place. Todoroki watched her for a brief moment and while Momo was not interested in this particular fighting game, she certainly found the usage of Shoji's quirk while gaming noteworthy - no input was too complicated for him. The though irked Todoroki, albeit very slightly. The reason for it was pretty simple.

Shouto was interested in Momo.

He suspected that for few months for now and it was quite recently that he accepted it as a fact. He was sure he liked Yaoyorozu. In hindsight, it was not that surprising. Putting aside such factors as their mutual respect, which had only grown through the months of their hero training, as well facing actual threats together... She was just a beautiful girl with an earnest but still approachable and friendly personality and high intelligence. Many could consider her perfect and many actually tried to ask her out. And Todoroki knew these people have failed, as Momo was either oblivious to subtle advances or was straight up rejecting them if they were more open.

And Todoroki had no idea how to approach her like that, not when knowing the track record of failures other people experienced in that area. And with influences he grew up with... No, stop thinking about it. Just politely pretend you're interested in the goddamn game.

"FINISH!" this time it was Mineta's character that got its ass beaten, with Shoji ruling supreme as the champion of gaming in the room. Minoru's complains about using multiple arms counting as cheating didn't help.

"Easy, easy!" Midoriya said, raising his hands. "More importantly, who's next?" he asked and turmoil of voices followed, with Mineta wanting a rematch with Shoji, Mina and Kirishima wanting to play together, Bakugo not wanting to lose anymore, Ojiro wagging his tail in excitement and Tokoyami pretending to not care. However,the class rep managed to calm everyone down while waving his stiff hands, nearly spilling his orange juice.

"Everyone! There are still those who has not played yet!" Iida exclaimed. "Yaoyorozu-san! Todoroki-kun! How about you two?" Tenya asked. Todoroki was caught slightly off guard while Momo reacted nearly immediately.

"Me?" she said, looking politely surprised. "I'm not really that interested... or good in games and..." but the class didn't let her finish.

"Give it a try, Yao-momo!" Tooru said.

"Yeah, go for it!" Mina insisted, and with some other classmates chanting "Yao-momo!", the girl's "bouncy" personality was now triggered, if her radiant smile, glint in her eyes and slight blush were of any indication.

"Alright!" Momo exclaimed, looking in Shouto's direction. "Todoroki-san, let's try it!" Earlier, Todoroki wondered of how to best politely, but firmly refuse, but now he pretty much couldn't. Peer pressure aside, her smile was very hard to resist. And so, he ended up sitting next to Momo in front of TV screen, holding the controller for the first time in his life. They were so close their sides were almost touching and the boy found that distracting. Her dark, loose and beautiful hair were distracting too...

Focus, Shouto.

"One question," Todoroki raised his voice, "how do I play this thing?" he asked while raising his controller up for emphasis.

"It's just normal fighting game." Midoriya was one to answer. "Have you played any before?"

"No." Todoroki said. "I never played any videogame".

"Really?" Izuku asked. "Then allow me to show you-..."

"No!" Kacchan interrupted. "Kirishima, you show Half-and-half how to do it! Deku would take All Night to explain!" he ordered, while Izuku looked unsure. But as the result, the following explanation was rather quick, to the point and relatively easy to understand and soon both Momo and Shouto picked their characters. A young, blond sword-wielding man appealed to Todoroki, while his crush picked a long-haired redhead girl who was wielding a pen-like sword and book-like shield.

And then, the wheel of fate started turning and the match began.

Of course, Shouto's experience was non-existed, and neither was Momo's, so their match was not that exciting to watch at first, as it was mainly limited to singular attack or very limited and easy to execute combos. Momo won the first round, leading to cheers from the class and Todoroki could have sworn her character was easier to do make combinations with. The second round started with Yao-momo dominating once again, until Shouto decided to go full-focus mode, resulting in him being able to stand his ground. It looked as if Todoroki was stalling, but he was in fact looking for a strategy. He wasn't good with special movies, so projectile attacks weren't very reliable. To his surprise, mashing C button proved to be unexpectedly good strategy and Momo's character was defeated. Shouto was surprised he also received the cheers.

The final round was meet with the hype and it only increased when it become evident this time around both Momo and Shouto were evenly matched, even when Todoroki was not relying on mashing the C button. They were apparently a swift learners. Their characters exchanged blows and - surprise, surprise - small combinations, the most recent one resulting in Momo's redhead character falling in the ground, but not yet defeated.

"Todoroki got her!" Kirishima said, obviously excited by the competition. The white-redhead was distracted by Ejiro's voice, so he turned his head, only to look at Momo instead. Her face showed both determination and excitement, she clearly enjoyed herself and wanted to win. And she still was cute.

Shouto snapped back to the screen as Yaoyorozu's character dashed in attack, Todorok got an impulse to C-mash again but resisted it, instead deciding to face his opponent head-on.

"FINISH!"

...

...

"Todoroki, you suuuuck!" Minoru teased in his usual manner among cheers, when the voice announced Momo's character's victory. Todoroki didn't mind however, but still he was not sure whether he lost because he didn't want to resort to cheap tactics, because he let himself be distracted or because... Yaoyorozu. It was funny, in training he wouldn't go easy or her and pity her, yet here and now he wasn't sure.

"That was a good match, Todoroki-san!" Yao-momo said with a smile, raising her palm in his direction. "It was fun!"

"Yeah, it was." Shouto admitted. The match was pretty equal and he had better time playing than he anticipated he would. He shook her hand and he couldn't help but notice how weird her palm feel on his. Momo gave him a warm smile and Todoroki couldn't help but return the smile of his own, albeit a small one.

"Move your asses, already!" Bokugo said loudly. "And Deku, prepare yourself!"

Todoroki sighed. He was tired already.

* * *

That being said, the sleep didn't embrace him so swiftly this night. Todoroki was lying in his room, looking at the celling and thinking.

Should he make his move or not?

On one hand, in doing so he would essentially act just like any other teenager would and that would be asking out the girl you like. That seemed straightforward... If Yaoyorozu ends up rejecting him, then that's that... Granted Todoroki wouldn't be happy about it, but at least he could be sure the rich girl would not end up thinking less of him. Not with their firmly established mutual respect.

Then again, what if Yaoyorozu agrees? Obviously, Shouto would be happy about that and, if accepting his feeling would be any indication of that, Momo would be too. But what after that? Should their relationship be a secret? That seemed like a good solution. Putting potentially troublesome and annoying reactions of their classmates aside, Shouto had no idea what Yaoyorozu's family would do about this. And how would his own family react? Especially mother and the old man? Yes, keeping it a secret would definitely be a better idea. With that, in best case scenario he would just spend more time with her... And while Shouto had no idea how that time together would look like, he was more than willing to find out.

But there was one more thing to consider.

Their career. Obviously, every student in class 2-A has aspirations to become hero... some especially were aiming to become the number one. That was what Midoriya and Bakugo are trying to do and Shouto had that ambition as well. He considered how acceptance or rejection by Yaoyorozu could affect him in that regard. Would it hinder his progress as a hero, diminishing his focus? Most likely yes and he would need to overcame that. Then again, ignoring the matter and doing nothing would not help either - Shouto could still get distracted.

No matter the choice he'll made, there will always be a chance of it ending poorly. What Todoroki realized that he could only potentially win by making a move. He sighed. Yaoyorozu was an early-bird type and she liked tea, right? Tomorrow's Saturday... It's decided. He'll need to quickly prepare a game plan for tomorrow.

After all, it was not a big deal to just ask the girl out... 

* * *

First thing Todoroki did in the morning was going over his plan once again.

It was simple. As soon and he was done with his morning routines, he'll make advantage of routines of his classmates - while living in dorms, Shouto was able to find out how his classmates were usually starting their free Saturday. And aside from Shouto himself, there were few early birds. Iida usually either exercising in his room or reading a book. Midoriya would go training outside. And one of the first things Yaoyorozu usually does is getting something to drink and it was for that reason Todoroki knew where to find her as soon as possible.

Then, he'll make a direct approach and he'll just ask her out. He didn't plan it to be very subtle, so Momo wouldn't be oblivious about it... And by being so direct, he will most likely have the answer he needed, regardless of what the answer will be.

To boosts his chances of not being interrupted, he woke up a bit earlier than usual.

Several minutes later, Shouto was already walking down through the staircase. Usually this time he would greet Midoriya while he was at it, but today was different. When he got to the common room, he just sat at the couch, waiting and focusing to hear the footsteps he expected to hear. And several moments later, he heard them. Yaoyorozu has arrived.

Todoroki moved from his spot and just as expected, he found her already in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Yaoyorozu," he greeted her.

"Good morning, Todoroki-san," she said, sending him a smile and Todoroki's heartbeat hastened. It was time to do it... Go for it, Shouto.

"Yaoyorozu," he said, earning her attention once again. Momo raised her eyebrow in interest, but Shouto found himself having difficulty in saying what he needed to say.

"Yes?" she prodded him, still with a polite smile on her lips.

Todoroki took a deep breath. He just needed to face her. This was it. You're a future number one, Shouto. If you are to face terrifying and dangerous villains in your future, then you certainly can deal with one encounter with a girl you like! "Um," he started, making himself look into her dark orbs. He congratulated himself his ability to keep a straight face, even if inside he was all but calm. "Would you like... to have a tea with me? Together?" he uttered, realizing these weren't the words he was preparing. Nonetheless...

Momo's smile widened a bit!

"Of course, Todoroki-san!" she said and Shouto could have sworn his shoulders suddenly got a lot lighter. "Just give me five minutes and I'll make a fine tea," Momo said with the sparks in her eyes.

Wait, what? That was not what he had meant! He wanted to ask her out, not ask her to make him tea! The girl was already reaching for electric kettle and in a instant Shouto decided to correct his mistake. He'll make his intentions clearly this time!

Shouto Todoroki opened his mouth and...

"Good morning Todoroki, Yaoyorozu-san!" was what Midoriya said behind Todoroki, dressed in his tracksuit and ready for his morning training session.

"Good morning, Midoriya-san!" Momo responded politely, while Shouto only turned back and nodded. Izuku dissapeared as swiftly as he interrupted. When Todoroki looked at the girl again, she was already done with all preperation necessary for her top-quality tea.

Todoroki sighed. For once he agreed with Bakugo... Fucking Deku...

Several minutes later, Todoroki realized three things. First of all, he has failed. Midoriya's interruption thew him out of balance and he haven't said what he wanted. He attempted to bring the topic while drinking her fine tea, but he found it awkward. Obviously, he didn't get his answer and Momo was apparently oblivious. Second, dating her or not, he got to have a top-tier tea with her. He couldn't really complain at all.

And finally, that one wasn't so pleasant to admit it to himself, maybe it would be better if he asked someone for advice or help... 

* * *

_So, the first chapter of the fic ends here, with the premise I hope I was able to establish - that being Shouto having trouble with asking the girl out. To be honest, I can't really blame him, with his background and social skills... We shall see how he's going to deal with that._

 _Some additional things regarding this fic: I plan to upload relatively short chapters, at least to what I normally used to upload. For once, that would mean more frequent updates. Second, I think I have a tendency of making things longer than necessary, so maybe shorter chapters will be better for me. Also, having little less details could give you, dear readers, more room for your imagination and interpretation._

 _Also, I don't plan this fic to be too long or too dramatic. I am definitely not going to make TodoMomo equalivement of "The Last: Naruto the movie" or something._

 _Anyways, hope you enjoyed the read :)_

 _-ZelgadisGW_


	2. Chapter 2

Todoroki moved the mouse cursor over the "call" button and took a deep breath, contemplating his decision.

Yesterday, he firmly established that he needed to ask someone for advice... but who he could both trust with the matter? From all of his classmates, he trusted Midoriya the most, but he doubt Izuku would be much of help with Yaoyorozu. While many could clearly see him and Uraraka having something going on, it was evident these two dorks just can't get their shit together. According to likes of Ashido and Hagakure, they were a perfect teasing material.

Iida was a class rep, so he would naturally be eager to help anyone in anything... Just that Shouto didn't believed his help would be effective.

Kaminari? Mineta? Please...

Next, Shouto concluded that the help from some girl would be more effective. But then again, from who in particular? Jiro was pretty close to Yaoyorozu, but Todoroki couldn't be sure she would be discreet about it. Ashido was out of the question. Same for Tooru. It was when Todoroki thought of asking Asui he realized something.

He had his family.

Oh yeah, that... Of course, this wasn't sunshine and rainbows. Turning to either of his parents with a girl problem wasn't a brightest idea due to the circumstances of their marriage and essentially everything else that followed it. No, his old man and mom were out of a question. But there was someone he could trust with this.

He clicked the left mouse button, thus initiating the call on Zkype. For a few seconds Todoroki hoped that his old man is not going to be the one to answer and fortunately his hopes were not in vain. The one to answer the call was his older sister and a teacher in occupation, Fuyumi Todoroki.

"Hey, Shouto!" she greeted him from the screen.

"Hi," he said.

"Fancy to hear from you. What's up?" she asked.

"It's fine," Shouto answered hastily. "Before that, is the old man at home?"

"No... He's busy as always," Fuyumi said sweatdropping while her brother nodded. With villains activity not diminishing and with struggling with multiple responsibilities as the current number 1 this was to be expected. Unfortunately, it also meant Endeavor couldn't spend enough time to patch things up with his own family.

"Good..." Shouto said. Fuyumi sighed.

"I can still understand Natsuo, but I though you..."

"No, you don't get it," he interrupted, "I need to... talk about something and it would be better if the old man didn't hear of it."

"T- talk about something?" Fuyumi raised her eyebrow.

"Yeah... First, do you have the class photo I've send you?" she nodded. "Alright. Can you open it?"

"Sure..." his sister replied and her voice betrayed curiousity. "Okay, I have it opened. So... What about it?"

"Now, find the dark-haired, tall girl..." Shouto said, observing as his sister's eyes moved.

"There, I see her," Fuyumi said and the strange smile appeared on her face, "who is she?"

"Well, she is..." Shouto answered before hesitating for a moment, seeing his sister's visibly amused face.

"She's your girlfriend, right?!" she exclaimed with excitement.

"What?" her brother exclaimed. "No, she is not!" he denied swiftly.

"Oh..." Fuyumi simply said with disappointed look. "That's a shame... so..."

"But... I want her to be..." Shouto admitted, looking away, glad that his Quirk was useful even in situations like this - he cooled down his cheeks immediately. And as expected, his sister's expression lift up.

"R- Really? That's something!" she said.

"The thing is, I need help with asking her out..." Shouto spoke. Fuyumi eyes widened, showing surprise but she swiftly composed herself.

"A- Alright," she nodded, "but before that... tell me something about her, Shouto."

"Her name is Momo Yaoyorozu and she comes from...-"

"That famous and rich hero family, right?" Fuyumi cut in, showing surprise once again. "Whoa, you aim high, Shouto!"

The boy cleared his throat in annoyance. "Anyways... Currently, she's the best student in the class when it comes to grades. She's calm, polite, friendly and a true genius. She shows a great hero potential and she's a natural leader... well, most of the time..." he added, thinking of the time her self-confidence was at its lowest. "Also, I think she's quite innocent..." Well, Shouto had to admit her hero costume is showing a lot, but it is for practical purposes connected to how her Quirk works.

"Aaaaand?" Fuyumi prodded with a smile, making her brother sigh.

"And she's beautiful..." he said after a moment of silence.

"I can see she's probably popular with boys," the teacher said, "but... tell me something."

"Yeah?"

"What is her hobby? What does she like to do in her free time?"

"Well..." Shouto said after a while. "She likes tea. She loves making it and is excellent at it."

"And?"

"And I don't know..." the boy admitted. "I don't think she has many hobbies... She's mostly focused on her hero training and education in general..."

"I see..." Fuyumi said, contemplating something for a moment, putting her finger on her lips. "Tell me... she doesn't have a boyfriend, right?"

"No, she doesn't."

"Figures..." Fuyumi said. "Anyways, have you... have you tried anything so far, Shouto?" she asked.

"Well, I tried to ask her out already." he admitted, but continued immediately before his sister could interrupt him. "But I think I was too subtle and I achieved nothing. She neither rejected nor accepted me. To her, it wasn't a date or anything."

"Really? How?" Fuyumi asked, surprised.

"I ended up asking her out for tea... But she just ended up making it on the spot. My... classmate then threw me off before I managed to correct myself and it was awkward after that." Shouto said, once again thankful for 'cold' part of his Quirk. "To her, making an excellent tea is just every-day thing so I bet she didn't even considered I was asking her out..."

"Alright..." the teacher nodded once again. "You are on good terms with her, right?"

"Yeah, mutually".

"I- If that so, then I have two advices to you."

"I'm listening." Shouto said.

Fuyumi took a deep breath. "Well, you asked her out once so you probably can do it again," she said, "but... this time around, suggest something she wouldn't just do everyday."

"You think that would do the trick?" Shouto asked, having his doubts.

"You must understand something about girls, Shouto..." Fuyumi said nervously. "Girls... in general, we prefer being asked out by boys. You see, to us, it is more romantic that way..."

"I figured I have to ask. That's nothing new." the aspiring hero said with impatience.

Fuyumi sighed. "What I'm going into is that girls like to be taken somewhere, they like to be surprised... I'm not going to tell you to take her to cinema or something, but instead... find out what she likes. If you do that... you'll have an idea where to best take her out."

Shouto nodded, surprised at the level of his own social ineptness. "That makes sense, actually".

"Listen..." Fuyumi said. "If she agrees, it would be best not to confess right away. Wait with it for additional date or two... Just try to have a good time with her..." she said, and seeing the way her brother was looking at her, she continued nervously. "If she'll end up having good time with you, she'll be more willing to give you a chance... that's what I mean."

Shouto nodded once again. "Alright. And what is your second advice?"

Fuyumi sighed, sweatdropping. "Well... If she ends up rejecting the idea of hanging out somewhere, but not rejecting you... I think you should be more blunt about how you feel."

Shouto swallowed.

"Y- yes," his sister said. "Make it clear to her how you feel. Surprise her and confess... T- that way..."

"It will end, one way or another..." Shouto finished for her gloomily.

"Ahahahah... I wouldn't put it like that... you know?" Fuyumi said and gave her brother an encouraging smile. "Have some confidence Shoto."

"Yeah."

"Anyways, that's how I see it... " his sister summed up. "Maybe ask her friend or two what she would like."

"That's not a bad point to start with," Shouto admitted, "thank you, Fuyumi."

"You're welcome. I hope I am of some help..." she said. "Besides that, how are you recently? You're not on Zkype frequently..."

* * *

Shouto decided to act on his recently modified plan of action. While at first he intended to ask Asui for a thing or two regarding girls in general, now he wanted to ask his classmate about Momo in particular. And while after the talk with his sister he wondered about what Yaoyorozu would like, he couldn't come up with any idea... Just what the hell rich girls like her would enjoy?

He suddenly halted his walk through U.A's campus, luckily spotting Asui in the distance. What was unlucky was that she was in company. In company of Kyoka, Hagakure and Yaoyorozu herself... That's great... Why, just why, girls have to hanging out in groups like that? Also, why that group in particular?

He needed to talk to Tsuyu and that would require to ask her to talk in private. Given that the topic would be Yaoyorozu, it would be highly awkward to as about her, when she is standing not so far away.

To make things better, Kyoka can easily overhear their conversation and there is nothing to guarantee she would be discreet about what she hears. And to Hakagure, gossiping about people is just another day... one wouldn't even notice when some new rumors would spread out. Great, a perfect team combination designed to screw over Shouto Todoroki in his recent task.

Shouto sighed, guessing he'll need to talk to Asui once she'll be back in her dorm's room. Todoroki turned on his heel and then he spotted his chance. And unexpected hero offering him the rescue.

Or rather heroine.

Making his decision, he followed the girl with long, orange hair to U.A's cafeteria.

* * *

"Kendo, can I sit here?"

Itsuka Kendo raised her head and saw no one other than Shouto Todoroki standing and holding his tray of food, indicating to seat across the girl.

"Sure," she said and Todoroki nodded, sitting down in front of her with his own tray, "fancy to see you, Todoroki-san," the girl smiled.

"You as well," the 2-A student answered politely, observing as Kendo was busy consuming a rice ball. He made a right choice. While Kendo was in class 2-B and was Yaoyorozu's rival, he knew these two still had a good relationship. In other words, their rivalry was of friendly nature. They also hanged out sometimes, so Kendo might by privy to what Yaoyorozu actually likes.

"What's up?" Itsuka asked lively, making Shouto go back to reality.

"The truth is I would like to ask you a question. Or ask for advice," Todoroki admitted. "The thing is..."

"OH?!" Monoma appeared out of nowhere next to Todoroki. "Am I hearing this right?" he asked with a sly smile. "No one other than class 2-A number one Todoroki-kun is need of assistance from class 2-B? OH? Maybe class A isn't so great at all, is it? Now, it is only natural because while 2-A...-" Neitro kept his usual rambling and in response Shouto only closed his eyes, while not acknowledging Monoma's existence at all and waited.

One...

Two...

Three...

*THUD*

Shouto opened his eyes and as he expected the blond 2-B student was already lying knocked out on the ground, courtesy of Itsuka.

"Thank you," Todoroki said, "but is it okay to leave him like this?" he asked as the girl sit in front of him once again.

"No worries," she shrugged it off, "everyone is accustomed to that by now, anyways. I'll drag him off when we're done here. Anyways, what were you saying, Todoroki-san?"

"I need to ask you something."

"Let me guess..." she started, putting her finger on her cheek. "It is about Yaoyorozu, isn't it?" Itsuka said, making Todoroki widen his eye in surprise.

"How did you know?" the boy asked.

"Oh please..." Kendo said, rolling her eyes. "Like nobody ever asked me about her before. She's quite popular, you know?"

"Yeah... And sorry if that's annoying..." Shouto averted his gaze.

"Don't worry about it..." Itsuka send him a smile. "Most of these guys weren't even in my type..." she assured him. "I guess you want to...-"

"I would like to know what Yaoyorozu really likes to do." Todoroki cut her off, making her blink.

"What do you mean?" Kendo asked.

"I want to ask Yaoyorozu out," Shouto's cheeks were once again saved from darkening by his quirk and self-control, "to do that I need to know what kind of activities she would like the most."

"Don't you know? That's strange... She's in your class."

"But I still have no idea," Todoroki admitted with a slight shame, "I know I should be more social, I know that's my fault. But I need your help."

"Relax, relax!" Kendo raised her palm a bit in calming gesture. "I'm not judging you... You just surprised me! Anyways..." she gave him a look. "Let's get into it... I know that Yayorozu has a good opinion of you, so I'll help you."

Shouto nodded.

"First, what do you think a girl from a rich and powerful hero family would like?" she asked and Shouto rolled his eyes.

"Frankly, I have no idea," he admitted, "I am from influential family, but I doubt my situation is representative at all..."

"If that's the case..." Kendo said with a smile. "Imagine this: Yaoyorozu had rather strict upbringing, she was always raised to be a proper hero in the future. But there is one thing that kind of upbringing never provided her."

"That being?"

"Common things and activities for common people!" Itsuka said and Shouto looked at her skeptically in response. "Oh, come on, you gotta notice it! Yaoyorozu likes common activities, even if she does not pursue them on her own. Don't tell me you can't remember any situation that fit this image?" she asked, making Todoroki think.

The night of the Kamino incident... Yaoyorozu was really excited when she, together with Todoroki, Kirishima, Midoriya and Iida entered the local shop to get new clothes for disguises... This wasn't kind of shop the rich girl like her would normally visit at all. Then there were more recent instances, including her playing that fighting game... While she wasn't looking forward to play, she definitely enjoyed when she got to hold the controller. Kendo clearly has a valid point.

Shouto congratulated himself on his inability to pick social clues once again.

"Yes, I can remember instances like that." he admitted and Kendo nodded.

"See?" the girl asked, "It is really simple. Just ask her out for something that's common, but not too cliche... So I won't recommend taking her out for coffee, for example. Or something not very engaging... Be more creative than that and I'm sure she'll love it."

"The thing is, there were people asking her out before and were rejected, you know?" Todoroki questioned. "It's unreasonable to assume she wasn't asked out for something common before."

"You know, Todoroki-san..." Kendo gave him a sly smile. "I'll be frank. I think from all U.A students out there you have the best chances. She things highly of you for a good reason and..." the orange-haired girl paused for a while, slight shade of pink appeared on his cheek. "You're quite a catch yourself, you know?" she said, embarrassing Todoroki a bit.

"Thanks..." he mumbled.

"Plus, I personally think you would look cute together!" Kendo said with a glee, making Todoroki sweardrop. The boy decided to ignore the last remark. "But hey, our food is still waiting. Let's dig in!" she did as she said and Shouto followed. The meal wasn't so warm anymore, but the boy didn't mind, having the impression of progress with his task.

"One more thing, Kendo," he said after he was done with his meal.

"Yeah?"

"Please don't speak of this conversation with anyone."

"Sure, no problem..." the girl said after swallowing the last of her meal. Todoroki was about to breathe with relief, but the girl was faster. "One one condition, though." she said.

"What it is?" Todoroki had a bad feeling about this. Kendo looked around for a brief moment.

"If you two start dating, let me know about it," she said with a smirk.

"Why?" Shouto questioned immediately.

"Relax, I don't plan spreading the rumors..." she smiled, "I am just looking forward to teasing Yaoyorozu about it!" she said, while taking her tray and getting up. "Have a good day, Todoroki-san!" Kendo said, before walking off and nearly tripping on still knocked-out Monoma.

"Look out there" Todoroki said.

"Yeah... I forgot about it. I'll need to move him like in a moment..." she send Shouto a smile. "And good luck, Todoroki-san."

"Thank you".

* * *

Few hours later, the half-white and half-red haired boy decided there was no need to bother Tsuyu today. Not only he already had information he needed, he didn't want to bother someone, especially in the late evening already. All he needed to do was to pick a right activity and he was ready to go.

Todoroki left the kitchen after retrieving carton of orange juice from the fridge. Just as he was about to return to his dorm, the noises coming from the common room took his attention. The boy followed them and found what these noises were.

They were coming from a video game, currently played by Ashido and Kirishima. Todoroki halted, observing the game his classmates played. It was different than before, that was certain... It had graphics that reminded him of some kind of fantasy fairy tale and it seemed like the players were not competing against each other, but rather..

"Hey there, Todoroki!" Kirishima greeted him, turning his head to face Shouto who responded with "hey" on his own.

"Eijiro, pay attention!" Mina said.

"Sorry, on it!" the Red Riot said, getting focused on the game again. Shouto focused on it as well, particularly on actions of the characters controlled by his classmates.

"Do you mind if I watch?" he said suddenly.

"Nope," Mina said.

"What she said," Kirishima confirmed and Shouto sit on the pouf nearby, orange juice in his hands. "That's unexpected coming from you, being interested in a videogame" Eijiro commented, while still focusing on game.

"I am wondering what kind of game it is. It looks differently to the last one," Shouto said.

"Duh," Ashido said, "what we played yesterday was fighting game, and this is a co-op game" she explained briefly, while still focusing on the game.

"Yeah. In games like these, you can usually play alone but when you play together it's easier and more fun, too..." Kirhishima said, blinking to Ashido.

"Seems interesting," Shouto said, an idea already sprouting in his head "Can you give me a more detailed rundown of this game, as you play?" the boy asked the gaming pair.

"Shouldn't be a problem. Go for it, Eijiro!" Pinky said to the boy.

"Alright, first of all there are three character. A knight, a thief and a wizard," Kirhishima stated "All have different abilities. For example... Knight can slash enemies up!" he said louder, demonstrating it on group of enemies that ambushed their characters. The knight was instead slashing through the opposition, while Mina's character was shooting her arrows, "Also, knight can smash things up and protect the rest with his shield" Kirhishima added.

"I am controlling a thief right now" Ashido explained. "She can shoot arrows, is very mobile and can swing on the rope" the pink-skinned girl demonstrated each of the abilities.

"There is a also a wizard who can levitate objects and enemies, as well as creating boxes and planks in order to reach certain places" Kirishima added, switching the knight to the wizard instantly and creating a box. Mina's thief used it as a jumping point, to send arrow with a rope and attach it where she wanted.

"What if you want to switch to the character the other player is controlling at the moment?" Todoroki asked and took a sip of juice.

"I'll know when Eijiro wants to do that," was what Mina said. "There will be a message displayed and I can decide whether I agree or don't on his request".

"I see."

"Anyways, Todoroki, it's unusual for you to be interested in games. What's up?" Kirishima asked his friend, while Mina send Shouto a strange look as well.

"It sounds more interesting than what I played yesterday," Todoroki admitted and he wasn't even lying. Co-op game that does not involve overly too complicated inputs sounded better to him. Not to mention co-op aspect could prove useful for his purposes. "I actually am wondering if I should give it a try with someone one day" to that, Kirishima just shrugged.

"Whatever serves you, buddy."

"How about you stay and watch, Todoroki?" Ashido suggested with a smile, "you'll learn more than with us just telling you."

"I don't see why not."

And Shouto stayed and watched the two players giving their best attempts in trying to beat the game. He watched their efforts for a while, as they made a steady and fast progress, working seemingly in union, sometimes exchanging few words, sometimes making elaborate plans on how to deal with the next obstacle. They were also laughing at their failures as well and even moments of no progress weren't enough to frustrate them. After beating an particularly difficult stage, Todoroki was reminded why that is, as the Red Riot received a kiss on the cheek from the Pinky.

Yeah, although Shouto didn't care much, Ashido and Kirishima were going out for some time now, apparently starting their relationship about month ago. Shouto wondered if their good sync with the game was due to that... or maybe the game helped them connected to each other even closer. Or maybe both at once...

"Whoa, now it will be final stage!" Kirishima stated loudly.

"If that's so, I'll be going," Shouto said, gaining attention from the couple. "I don't want to see the ending yet."

"Does that mean you plan to play, Todoroki?" Eijiro asked.

"Yeah," Todoroki answered, standing up and directing himself out of the room.

"Alright, say hi to Yao-momo from me!" Ashido said casually, making Shouto freeze in the place. It was not unnoticed by the girl. "What?" she asked.

"How did you...?" Todoroki started, turning to face the girl.

"You two seems to get along," Pinky answered, making Shouto exhale with relief, thankful it ended up on that, "besides, I think you two would make an adorable pair!" or not...

"So, Todoroki will be making a move on Yaoyorozu, huh?" Kirishima wondered out loud, the "loud" part disturbed Todoroki.

"Is he?" Mina wondered as well, oblivious of glare Shouto was sending them, "that's soo cool!"

"Guys," Todoroki, once again grateful for his Quirk, managed to get their attention and then sighed. "I ask you to stay quiet about this. I don't want you to tell this to anyone..." he said, trying the 'cool and intimidating presence' for a better effect.

"Sure, you can count on me, buddy!" Kirishima assured him with a thumb up.

"Yeah, me too!" Ashido said and apparently both were unaffected by Todoroki's 'intimidation'. Shouto could only count on their good will and because of that his gaze found Mina's.

"I repeat, please don't tell anyone," he said, Ashido looking at him blankly. "Don't tell anyone. Don't. Tell. Anyone."

"Are you suggesting I'm gossiping, Todoroki-kun?" Mina asked.

"He really is going to make move. That proves it." Eijiro concluded, smirking towards the boy.

"Don't worry, Todoroki-kun. I won't be gossiping it about it!" Mina assured before Shouto managed to react. "In fact, I can be your wingman if you need one!"

"No, thank you..." Todoroki sighed, glad that at least Ashido appeared to be willing to keep her word. Honestly, he was walking on a very thin ice here. He needed to get away from here before things gets less stable. "I'll be going then. Enjoy your game." he said to them, before exiting the room and receiving "bye!" from the couple.

"Honestly... most of the time it's really hard to tell what is he thinking but the Yao-momo thing is so easy to see... I bet there was something between them already!" Mina said to her boyfriend, while they returned to the game.

"You really think that? I'm surprised." Kirishima responded.

"Why?"

"Well, nobody ever saw Todoroki making move on anybody. Nobody ever saw Yaoyorozu going out with anybody."

"Trust me, Shima," Mina said with a soft smile, "girls just knows things like that..." Eijiro remained unconvinced, but it didn't matter when his girlfriend gave him a quick, soft kiss. "And now, let's rock that last stage!"

"Yeah!"

* * *

Just outside of the room, Todoroki moved once again, slightly nervous. If Mina Ashido had some things figured out, it was scary to think what Yaoyorozu might think. But no matter... Shouto had a plan to execute tomorrow.

* * *

 _Welcome back in the second chapter, in which Momo Yaoyorozu has only small cameo and Todoroki tries to figure shit out. I hope you like the picture I paint right now... As for what happens next, I have some possibilities and I still have to choose what "variant" will I pick._

 _Anyways, thank you for reading and have a wonderful New Year!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Hello there!_

 _(General Kenobi...)_

 _I know that I have updated this story several months later than I anticipated and I don't really have a valid reasons for that. But one of those non-valid reasons was that, I am really excited about writing chapters 4 and 5 (yes, there will be up to 5 chapters in total) I don't really felt like writing chapter 3. I mean, it was good "on paper", but when I actually was writing it, it didn't felt good. It was just something that I needed to write just to get to something I find more interesting. Or have stronger mental images for._

 _Nonetheless, I hope you'll appreciate this chapter. That's what fanfictions are supposed to be for, aren't they?_

 _Have a good read._

 _ZelgadisGW_

* * *

Shouto crossed his arms as his back hit the wall. The basic hero training classes ended quite recently and Todoroki made sure to swiftly leave the boy's changing room in order to wait for and not miss one particular person. After some time and several looks from his classmates later, Todoroki saw the person he was waiting for.

Momo Yaoyorozu left the girl's changing room and fortunately she was walking alone.

"Hey, Yaoyorozu," the boy said, approaching the girl, "good job at today's practice".

"Thank you. You did splendidly too, Todoroki-san" Momo send him a smile.

"I want to ask you something," he said as they walked through the corridor and Yaoyorozu nodded. The boy wait for a moment before continuing, "you know, there is a game that seems interesting and I'm wondering if you we could play it together," he said, keeping his nerves in check despite them being in corridor full of students.

"Really?" Momo asked, raising her eyebrow. "Is it same game as the previous one? Because I'm not really good at games like these..." she admitted.

"No, it's different. This one is a co-op game," he said and when he noticed Momo looking at him in askance, he explained, "two players are controlling the different characters, trying to finish the stages together while helping each other out." The girl averted her gaze, apparently thinking about it.

"That doesn't sound bad... but should we really spend our time playing games?" she wondered out loud as they kept walking. "We have the special hero training at Friday, remember? Aizawa-sensei said we shouldn't take it lightly," Momo said in politely apologizing tone, but Todoroki was prepared for that.

"Yeah, that's right," he admitted, "however, that doesn't mean we can't play together," the boy said and his crush looked at him. Shouto took a breath. "If the time is what you are worried about, Iida came up with schedule system of using that console".

"I haven't heard of it," the rich girl showed her honest surprise.

"Can't blame you, I didn't knew of it as well until today... basically it is just a sheet of paper that includes our class' daily school time, homework time and free time. If someone wants to reserve some gaming time, they need to use and keep up with that schedule. You know our class president, he's just formal like that."

"I see… That indeed is like Iida-san."

"So we could reserve an hour, maybe an hour and half to play. Using this we should manage our time just fine," Shouto said and to his relief, Yaoyorozu's lips curved up in a smile.

"Okay, Todoroki-san. In that case, we can play together," she replied with small sparks in her eyes and Todoroki recognized that of a trace of her "bouncy" personality.

"Alright," he said with content. "So, we need to decide on the time... how about...-" Todoroki wondered, while touching his chin and the girl tilted her head.

"You know Todoroki-san, you hardly ever seem to smile like that," Yaoyorozu said.

"Really? I don't?" the boy replied confounded. He clearly didn't expect to hear that… Smiling was indeed rare for him, so it made sense for people to notice it once it happens.

"Really. You're probably looking forward to this," Momo said, "so I think we should reserve the time just after we're done with our homework. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, though we must make sure to do our work early," he replied. "I still need to have my evening training session and I think you'll still need time for additional study for your quirk, right?"

"That's correct," the dark-haired girl nodded as they exited to the U.A campus. "Reserving some time shouldn't be a problem, though."

* * *

"It seems there is a problem..." Momo said out loud back in the dorms, looking at the schedule and willingly or not, Todoroki had to admit she was right. Namely…

"Everything is reserved for today..." the boy said and Yaoyorozu nodded, "Not only that, certain amount of time is also reserved for tomorrow, too..." he added, looking through the 'console usage' schedule for this week. He should have taken a look at it beforehand, just after he learned about it from Iida. But he didn't do it. Still, it was possible to reserve some time for tomorrow or to ignore Iida's rigid schedule for that matter, but Shouto was certain Momo wouldn't approve of the latter.

The matter was simple, yet Todoroki's thoughts begun wandering in unexpected direction… Yaoyorozu agreed to spend some time with him _today_ , so shouldn't he make suggestion to do something else? If he didn't do that, then he would end up just wasting her time… But what should he suggest? He had not a single idea! Despite his poker face, Todoroki was thinking frantically as if he was to solve some kind of riddle or forming a plan during a crisis situation…

Well, despite his rather mundane situation, he kinda was thinking under pressure…

"Todoroki-san? Should we take an hour tomorrow?" Yaoyorozu brought the boy back to the reality with her even and polite voice. Shouto blinked a few times before answering.

"Yeah, should be okay," he confirmed, looking down at the paper. "Judging from this, one hour is all we can afford..." he added.

"We can't help it, though. That's best option we have, Todoroki-san," the girl stated the obvious and Shouto nodded as he brought out a pen and reserved their spot.

 _Tuseday, 6:30PM – 7:30PM_

 _Yaoyorozu, Todoroki_

"Alright, done" the half-hot and half-cold boy said and Momo smiled.

"We have plans for tomorrow, then," she summed up. "In that case I think I can study some more today."

"Oh", Todoroki responded. He didn't offer her any alternatives so what did he expected? He didn't even have any ideas in the first place. "Good luck, Yaoyorozu."

"Before that..." the girl started again, "I would fancy some tea beforehand. Do you want some too, Todoroki-san?" she asked with a smile, looking absolutely cute by the boy's estimation. How could he refuse?

And if you think about it, she also agreed to spend some time with him tomorrow. There weren't any reasons to complain, after all.

* * *

Oh, but he found some...

It was around 6:30pm, Todoroki was sitting on a couch in the common room with Momo, launching the console and getting ready to start they game... But the problem was, the setting was far from what he would describe as perfect.

Some of their classmates were hanging out in the common room and that meant two players had casual and sometimes changing audience. From 2-A class members only Kirishima and Bakugo showed no interest in the console, being occupied by deck of cards instead on the nearest table. Shouto looked around, seeing Asui and Jiro sitting on poufs next to Todoroki's and Yaoyorozu's couch.

The frog girl had her typical unreadable expression on her face, the same expression that made it difficult to figure out what the girl is thinking about. Only the finger pressed against her face betrayed her curiosity. On the other hand, Jiro seemed more interested in the two players, as her eyes were wondering between the boy and the girl as she was drinking orange juice.

Now, Shouto knew that he didn't really asked Yaoyorozu out on a date or anything like that. He knew very well that they would be still in dorms and that they could potentially have audience. But still, said audience made him uncomfortable. However, Momo didn't seemed to mind.

"That art looks amazing!" she voiced her first impression with sparks in her eyes.

"It looks nice," Shouto admitted before he started a new game.

The first things the game had to offer were short story-based tutorial sections, during which both Shouto and Momo took their turns in getting used to controls and movesets of each of the three characters. Shortly after that, the tutorial ended and the proper game plot has begun, the three fantasy heroes went for a quest of saving the kingdom from the evil sorcerer.

This quest started very easy and very pleasant, great for non-stresfull play and for enjoying the scenery, it consisted mostly of simple physics-based puzzle and platforming sections. However, the serenity couldn't last forever and when the pair of players was ambushed by forces of evil, chaos ensued. Lack of experience in gaming whatsoever made both players panic and they teamwork become nonexistent, resulting in Momo's Wizard death. The battle ultimately was won by combined power of Knight and Thief.

"Sorry, Yaoyorozu," Todoroki said, "you wanted to change to Knight, and I didn't let you..."

"No, no need to be sorry," Yaoyorozu replied, "I should have changed to Thief in the first place..."

"Can we make it to the checkpoint with those two?"

"I hope..." Momo's said, not knowing that their hopes are going to be tested by the next platforming section. The pair looked at each other for a brief moment before focusing on the screen again. The section appeared simple enough… if the Wizard was still alive. Otherwise, it seemed quite tricky, but the two aspiring heroes were up to the challenge. Despite his best efforts and undying composure, Todoroki's Knight fell into the pit, anticipating hard and intimate contact with the ground. Momo uttered a short squeal, but her Thief managed to reach the platform. Todoroki raised his brows at the sound, while Tsuyu still was as unreadable as ever. Jiro, however was visibly amused by the squeal.

"Can I do this?" Momo wondered.

"Well..." Todoroki started, "I think you can… there is a wooden surface there, maybe the Thief can attach her hook there..." he said and the girl nodded, doing what he suggested. She succeed in doing that and made the character swing on the rope to gain momentum before she ordered the Thief to jump, but not without uttering yet another squeal.

This time Jiro spilled the orange juice she was drinking at the moment, not being able to maintain her composure anymore. Momo exhaled with relief, the shade of red gazing her cheeks. Todoroki, however looked at Kyoka's direction and raised his red eyebrow.

"Sorry, sorry!" Earphone Jack apologized, cleaning up the juice "but you two really suck at this, you know?"

"I am well aware," Todoroki responded. Momo stayed quiet until she managed to find the checkpoint and resurrect other team members.

"That's a relief!" she exclaimed. "The game is going to be difficult, though..."

"Can't help you there, Yao-momo" Kyoka shrugged. "Never played it myself. I has kickass soundtrack though."

"Todoroki-kun, Yao-momo." Tsuyu started, speaking for the first time since the game started. That made Froppy's three classmates to focus their attention on her. "You usually work very well together." Both Todoroki and Yaoyorozu nodded. "Maybe you can try approach this game more like a hero training," the frog girl suggested, making everyone raise their eyebrows. "You can treat your characters as pro-heroes and enemies as real-life villains," she explained.

"I guess there is no harm in trying, Todoroki-san," Momo said after a moment.

"But that is nothing like hero training," Shouto argued, "and those characters doesn't even have Quirks to begin with."

"That's common trope for fantasy genre, Todoroki-kun." Tsuyu said. "They use a thing called 'magic' instead".

"It is worth a try, correct?" Yaoyorozu said.

"I guess that's right. Let's try it." Shouto agreed. He surely preferred that to ending the gaming session right now. The pair resumed the game and, to everyone's surprise, Yaoyorozu's disposition changed completely. Gone was the girl's clumsiness and indecisiveness, replaced with efficiency, sharp observation and quick thinking. While Todoroki himself was unable to change his attitude like that, he noticed that his performance has raised as well, likely due to Momo's leadership.

Usually during the hero training, when both Yaoyorozu and Todoroki were on the same team, the boy would leave leading to the rich girl, trust her judgment and follow her orders. This game felt similar to that.

"Jump, Todoroki-san!" the dark-haired girl spoke suddenly and ordered her character to do just that, barely in time to dodge the swing of the blade wielded by giant skeleton, which just crashed through the wall. Shouto, on the other hand, was caught off-guard and thus his Knight was slain by skeleton's blow.

"Sorry," he apologized, switching his character to the Wizard.

"Wait a moment, how did you know there will be boss?" Kyoka questioned, while the two players fought the creature. "You haven't played this game before, right? You couldn't have known!"

"Even the most unexpected circumstances are within my expectations!" Momo claimed with a confident smile on her face, making Jiro give Tsuyu 'what the hell was that' kind of face.

"What?" the frog girl said after a while.

The giant skeleton was resistant to most of the damage. Its obvious weak point was its head, but even so the Thief's arrows were not doing too much damage and it was tricky to aim for the moving target most of the time. Thus, Todoroki used the Wizard to summon a heavy box, levitate it and crush the monster's head with it, ending the fight.

"Splendid job, Todoroki-san!" Yaoyorozu praised the boy with what he could describe as an adorable smile.

"Yeah, that was good," it wasn't Todoroki's voice. Both Shouto and Momo turned their heads just to see Sero, leaning on the couch. "I know you're having fun and all and not that I really mind, but you guys are out of the schedule and if Iida...-"

"We are?" Shouto interrupted.

"Yeah. It's past eight already," Sero said.

"Already?" Momo repeated, genuinely surprised. "I'm sorry, the time went so fast! We haven't noticed!"

"Yeah, that went quick," Todoroki admitted, more to himself than to anyone else… That was unexpected. He ended up having up more fun and being more immersed in the game than he anticipated he would. And while he actually had some fun, it was over now. With the current stage ending right after the boss battle, they were done playing. In other words, his time with Yaoyorozu today reached its end.

"It was fun, Todoroki-san," Momo said after they get off the couch.

"Yeah," the white-red haired boy responded.

"Judging from the story is going, I predict it is a rather short game..." the girl spoke again, "would you want to play tomorrow as well, Todoroki-san?" she asked with a polite smile, making Todoroki perk up instantly.

"Sure," he responded with a faint smile on his lips. Momo smiled back.

"In that case, we should check the schedule..." she said, as together with Todoroki she left the room.

As for the boy, he ended up satisfied after all, especially since Yaoyorozu suggested the next time by herself. That of course meant the next not-a-date by the videogame console… But Todoroki wondered, what's next? What the next step?

* * *

The son of the current number one hero didn't bother answering this question until the next night. After his next gaming session with Momo, Shouto was ready to go out for his evening training session. Before that though, he opened up his laptop and accessed the internet, searching for something.

Today's gaming with Yaoyorozu was even better than the last one. Momo was having as much fun as yesterday, and Shouto's gaming skills appreared to grew as well, making him enjoy the game more. Also, Momo's prediction turned out to be true, since the game was pretty short… but the last boss battle served as a final test to both teenagers' skills and teamwork, all under time pressure and with hard to predict obstacles appearing seemingly out of nowhere. All in all, after several trials, both Todoroki and Yaoyorozu showed their superiority and beaten the game. Both were satisfied with the result, but Momo especially so. Kendo's advice was on point, it seemed. And this is why Shouto was now searching for something.

They were done gaming, so Todoroki was looking for an idea of the next step. To that end, he opened the map of the city, searching for places he could take Yaoyorozu to.

Tea shop was out of a question…

Karaoke bar? Hell no!

Fast food restaurant? Rather not… Yaoyorozu most likely hasn't experienced many opportunities, if any, to eat in place like this, but that alone was not good enough. Is junk food even good for her Quirk anyways?

Escape room? A bit too far away from U.A campus and Shouto was pretty sure Momo wouldn't experience any challenge with getting out of it in matter of minutes, even if using quirks wouldn't be allowed. So why bother?

Then Todoroki blinked. Now, that one might actually work… The bowling club! The teenager had never done it before and he was pretty sure Yaoyorozu hadn't either. That would make them on the equal standing. Momo would most likely enjoy yourself and Todoroki would be more comfortable. After all, it would be only him and Yaoyorozu, together. No other classmates, no distractions, no Iida's schedules to be aware of. Just two of them, bowling and having a good time.

Or maybe he wouldn't be so comfortable. It would be just two of them, after all…

The white-redhead shouted down the laptop, before changing into his training clothes and heading out outside. The night was cool, but not chilly and the boy had no problems in focusing on his training.

* * *

It was Thursday now, the classes at U.A high ended hours ago and most of its students were either on the campus or in their dorms. Some were outside, enjoying the weather, walking or exercising. Some were chilling out in their rooms, some were studying. Some students of 2-A class were being tutored by Momo Yaoyorozu at the moment. And at the same time, Shouto Todoroki was deep in his thoughts.

The aspiring hero planned to ask Yaoyorozu out today but the opportunity to do so hasn't presented itself yet. And now, he needed to wait until the rich girl would finish tutoring some… less brilliant 2-A students, namely Kaminari and Ashido. Come to think of, it was still a beginning of the years and they already were asking fo help… Unconvenient. But maybe they just learned from experiencing the first year's finals… Both written and practical exams were quite difficult.

On the topic of exams, Todoroki thought, tomorrow there will be special hero training, as Aizawa-sensei warned. It should go well and even if it will turn out to be unexpectedly difficult, even to Eraserhead's standard, Shouto was convinced he'll do well – he was performing excellent in classes, on practices and during exercises, as usual. And if things will go south, he'll need to go beyond.

Nonetheless, Todoroki could tell he was restless and he knew it had nothing to do with whatever Aizawa came up for tomorrow. No, the reason was Yaoyorozu. Shouto decided to go out of his room and walk away that feeling of restlessness. He didn't knew how long was he walking aimlessly, or even how he ended up on the same floor as Yaoyorozu's dorm. However, he was aware of his surroundings enough to notice someone… naturally, it was her. Apparently, Momo was already done tutoring Ashido and Kaminari and was heading to her own room...

It's now or never, Shouto.

"Yaoyorozu," he said audiably after a moment of hesitation. His voice has reached her ears and her attention snapped to him. "Do you have a minute?"

"Yes, Todoroki-san," she replied politely, facing him as he approached her. "What do you need?" she inquired.

"Well, I want to ask you something…" Todoroki started after another moment of hesitation. Momo raised her eyebrow. "You see… well…" he found himself bitten in tongue, his mind was strangely blank as well. The task was taller than he had anticipated.

"What it is?" Momo prodded politely and the boy realized he was looking away for a while, so he let his eyes rest on her. The cute face, beautiful black orbs. Pretty, polite smile. Hands behind her back, making her look quite innocent. Loose hair and casual, yet modest, clothes that made her look more approachable than formal. "Todoroki-san?" she questioned "Is everything well?"

"Yeah," he answered.

"I would like to prepare myself for tomorrow…so.." she started.

"Wait," Todoroki said, much more confidently this time. Get it together, Shouto. Go beyond and ask the girl you like out! "It is that… there is a bowling club nearby and I was wondering… If you would want to… go there with me.." he spoke uncertainly and Momo's face has changed… Just Shouto had no idea what that change meant… It couldn't be…

"I'm sorry, Todoroki-san…" Momo said in apologetic tone.

So it was… Shouto thought, experiencing an unpleasant feeling in his gut… but wait, it makes sense. There is a light of hope in the dark… It just could it be that…

"Oh, that's right…" he said quietly. "Aizawa's special training tomorrow…" he continued while the girl opened her mouth, "but it's not like we need to go today or anything… when you'll have time we could-…"

"I'm sorry, Todoroki-san," Yaoyorozu said more firmly, effectively silencing the boy. "Aizawa-sensei's training has nothing to do with this…" she told him, looking away.

No… No, no…

"I'm sorry…" she apologized again, "but if that is all… I-I need to go..." she said quietly, already making the move towards her dorm. At this, Shouto panicked, his heart working overtime and his throughts in a wild chaos. Seeing the girl walking away made him rooted in the spot, until one of his thoughts rested on Fuyumi Todoroki and her advice.

"W- wait!" he yelled after her, "there is one more thing!"

Momo, who was about to open the door to her dorm, halted her movement and after a moment she faced the white-readhead once more.

"Yes?" She asked slowly and Todoroki approached her once again.

"I… I like you, Yaoyorozu." Shouto confessed, sounding more desperate than he intended. "I truly do…so…"

"I…" Momo started slowly, this time looking directly and him. Shouto noticed a shade of red on her face. Does that mean that she…? Their eyes meet and he saw something in them… Before Todoroki could recognize what it was, her look changed. "I'm sorry Todoroki-san…" she said quietly and the moment of silence followed… The atmosphere become dense, almost as if to separate the two teenagers apart of each other. All the while Shouto's emitions were building.

"You say sorry…" Todorki said quietly after another moment. "You say sorry again and again…" the volume of his voice was rising. "Yet still, you're playing dumb with me… I like you! So tell me Yaoyorozu! Don't play games with me and if you don't like me, just say so!" he demanded, making the girl take a step back.

"Well.. It's…" the girl started again but either couldn't or didn't want to finish her sentence.

"If you don't like me, then at least have the damn guts to say it!" Shouto snarked as his frustration peaked. At the same time, his and Momo's eyes met and he didn't expect what he saw in them. It was not fear, not guilt, not anger, not contempt. Not even the same thing he previously was unable to call. No, Yaoyorozu was looking at him with a dissapointment. Only now Todoroki realized he was shouting at her and just like that, his anger turned into cold apprehension.

"Y- You…" Momo started, her voice unreadable. "You don't understand anything, Todoroki-san!" she shouted back, before turning around and entering her dorm, slamming the door.

Todoroki stood right there for a good a few moments, overwhelmed by emotions, apprehension, regret and guilt being the strongest. It was bad enough for him that he was rejected, but his reaction to it made the entire thing only worse… He ended up directing his frustration at her, person he liked, respected and admired… She didn't deserve this. Shouto started walking in the direction to his own dorm.

If he had took her rejection in stride, then maybe one day, eventually, he would have chances with her.

But instead, he threw a temper tantrum like a spoiled brat being denied something.

He knew he ended damaging their relationship, but he didn't knew to what extend... But at least he knew one very obvious course of action… after he's calmed down, he'll apologize her for his outburst. That would be a good start at least.

He knew he should go to sleep early to be ready for whatever Aizawa planned for tomorrow… His thoughts didn't let him, though. Momo Yaoyorozu aside, there was one more frightening thing he was wondering about.

If he saw himself in the mirror at this moment, how much of Endeavor would he see reflected in his own eyes?

* * *

 _And that's where this chapter ends. Pretty unexpected, given how Momo was acting towards Todoroki earlier, was it? Writing the fic from Shouto's perspective has a really nice perk from it - only I, the evil author-sama, know what's going on with Momo's thoughts and decisions. Don't worry, things are happenning here for a reasons._

 _As for Momo's reasons, I believe there are people that could explain is just due to the knowledge of the series alone and putting some thing together. Some people can make accurate predictions already, while others may wait for an official answer..._

 _Anyways, I hope to write and upload chapter 4 in a near future, so that you won't need to wait much for further developments between main cast here... and to see what Aizawa prepared for tomorrow._

 _Till later, dear readers._

 _ZelgadisGW_


	4. Chapter 4

_Hello, dear readers._

 _I present you second-to-last chapter 4 of "Asking Her Out". I hope this time the update is not as late as previous one, but just in case, I will make an attempt to help you refresh your memory on the story. So, here's a brief summary what happened so far:_

 _"Todoroki realizes that he has feelings for Yaoyorozu some time and decides to do something about them. Pretty soon he also realizes he'd need a little bit of help. So after advices coming from his siter Fuyumi and Momo's friend, Itsuka Kendo, Shouto decides to invite Momo for something she wouldn't normally do. Thanks to Kirishima and Mina, Shouto gets idea of playing videogames with the girl. Yaoyorozu agrees, and after two successful playing sessions, Todoroki decides to ask her out to bowling club. Unfortunately, the girl refuses and when it becomes apparent it is not only due to external circumstances, Shouto confesses his feelings. The girl still rejects him, making him angry and vent. Their talk end us swiftly, with Momo slamming the door behind her and Todoroki returns angry, dissapointed and guilty of disrespecting her out of all people._

 _Now, his emotions aren't the only challenge, since Ereaserhead's test is just beginning..."_

 _Reply to reviews and other author's notes at the end of the chapter. I hope you'll have a good time reading :)_

 **-ZelgadisGW**

* * *

"Listen carefully, since I won't bother explaining this again," Shouta Aizawa started in dry, but commanding tone, looking through all of 2-A class members. "The purpose of today's special training course is to prepare you for escorting civilians to the safety under time pressure… however!" Eraserhead raised his voice, apparently sensing that his class has visibly relaxed, "you'll have a handicap, so better not take this lightly."

The class has looked among each other. For now it didn't sound too bad… Some handicap was actually expected.

"You will be divided into several groups consisting of six people… and yes, it also means that the luckier ones of you will be taking part in this more than one time," Aizawa explained, seeing how Kaminari was already opening his mouth. "Each group will divide into one group of heroes and one group of villains… However, one person in the hero group will be chosen at random to play a civilian. That person will be prohibited from using his or her Quirk and also will wear weighted bracelets to limit mobility and stamina… Heteromorphic types will instead have to wear heavier bracelets."

Shouto Todoroki nodded to no one in particular, successfully fighting his urge to yawn. It was not a result of him underestimating the task awaiting him, but because he hadn't slept well last night, his mind was working overtime instead of letting him rest. The boring lessons the 2-A had today that were leading up to this moment didn't help revitalizing him either. He was sleepy and distracted. He knew exactly why was that. He looked to his right, spotting Momo who was actively listening to Eraserhead.

There just wasn't any good opportunity to do something about that thing since yesterday… It was terrible! She was sitting next to him in the class, after all… He had plenty of opportunities to talk to her!

"The hero team task is to escort the civilian out of urban area in a time limit of 15 minutes," All Might who stood next to Aizawa took up, "you succeed when the civilian is out of the endangered zone or when all of your opponents are incapacitated. You lose when the villain team manages to capture or otherwise incapacitate the civilian, when the civilian breaks the rules by using Quirk or when 15 minutes are up," the former number one hero explained.

"Villain team will have a capturing tape for their disposal. You know what to do with it. Hero team will not be allowed such a luxury." Aizawa continued again, rising the object in question and then looking through the class. "Seems every single one of you gets the message. Good. Now, we shall proceed to draw the teams for the matchups".

Todoroki fought another urge to yawn… From the looks of it, the entire special exercise was not that bad. True, the hero team will be at disadvantage but Shouto was sure that he could handle it, even while being outnumbered by one person. All he have to do is to keep the villain team at bay and provide the fastest, safest route for civilian to evacuate. Nothing too complicated. The aspiring hero nearly yawned once again, hoping that his turn will come swiftly. That hope was fulfilled when list of teams were displayed on the big screen.

"Hey, that's little unfair, don't you think?" Kaminari said to Sero behind Todoroki's back.

"Yeah. Just look at that team, it's very strong..." the tape-user agreed.

Shouto however fought another urge, this time to cover his face with his hand. He re-read the matchup he was in.

Todoroki Shouto, Bakugo Katsuki, Yaoyorozu Momo vs. Tenya Iida, Mineta Minoru and Shoji Mezo.

With his team being the heroes and Yaoyorozu choosen to act as a civilian. Not to mention he'll need to deal with Bakugo. Great, just great.

He wasn't looking forward to it.

* * *

"Listen, Half-and-half! Here's what we will do!" Katsuki started when the entire team were moving to assume their starting position, which was an abandoned building in the middle of the city zone. The two boys were marching side by side, with Momo walking just behind them. "We will bring it to the villains and obliterate them without fail!"

"I disagree. That is not our objective," Todoroki responded and Bakugo glared at him, "we need to escort Yaoyorozu to safety".

"Didn't you heard what All Might said?" the blond questioned, "we will win if we bring down the villains! And we will win swiftly without wasting any time!"

"That would still create unnecessary risk," Shouto argued. "Also, keep in mind the collateral damage."

"I know! I can do precise attacks!" the boy shouted back, "Anyways, it's better to attack than wait to be ambushed! And they will do that! They have both mobility and means to detect and track us!" Bakugo said back in harsh tone.

"You have a point," Shouto admitted, slightly surprised, "but still we can't left Yaoyorozu unprotected."

"I can fight and protect at the same time!" Bakugo claimed, "And l know you can do it too, Half-and-half. You can use both fire and cold at the same time!"

"Still, we are at disadvantage here. We are outnumbered." Todoroki reminded his classmate, already being tired from the exchange.

"It's just Four-Eyed and Tentacles against us. We can handle it."

"What about Mineta?"

"What _about_ Mineta?!"

"Wow, Bakugo, just wow..." Shouto said, "you can't just underestimate him or anyone else like that. We don't know how much they improved since the last semester… "

"I am not underestimating anyone," Bakugo snarled after a short pause, "I'm sure that Ball Head will use either Four-Eyed or Tentacles for mobility. He himself has little to none. The point is, that would still make two targets instead of three!"

"Fair point, but still..." Shouto looked ahead of himself, "…we are almost at our starting position. I see some merit in your idea, but I cannot agree to it. We need to come up with something different and do it fast," he said, gazing at Bakugo. The boy in question narrowed his eyes and went silent for a while, before speaking again.

"Hey, Ponytail!" he looked back at Yaoyorozu, "you're good at planning, right?! Any ideas?"

"Ideas?" Momo was clearly surprised, "but I am supposed to act as a civilian… I think I am not allowed to contribute like this..."

"Bullshit!" Bakugo argued, "nobody freaking said you could not! It's not against the rules… And not every civilian is completely useless!" the boy continued, "if the civilian is useful, why not take advantage of that?"

Once again, Bakugo had a point, Shouto thought. Todoroki himself considered asking Yaoyorozu about eventual strategy, she was brilliant when it came to things like that. Shouto was about to use her knowledge. But he restrained himself from doing that. Until now.

"Hey, say something!" Katsuki spured the girl. Shouto looked at Momo and she appeared unsure.

"Yaoyorozu," the boy started, "Bakugo isn't wrong. At least before the match officially starts, you are allowed to come up with a strategy," Todoroki added. His crush gazed at him, making the boy look away a bit.

"Fine," he heard the girl say after a moment. "It will be a bit rushed and rough, but I do have a plan of action… Please listen..." she said as they nearly arrived in place.

* * *

" _First of all, our purpose is not to fight, but to evacuate. To this end, we will be moving as stealthily and swiftly as it is possible. We need to avoid open spaces, since our enemy is more mobile than us. It is better to remain undetected as long as we can. However, villain's ambush is expected at some point. We must be ready for battle. As such, we will be moving in a single file formation..."_

The match has started few minutes ago and Shouto's team was currently moving through narrow path between two buildings. Todoroki recalled the plan.

" _Todoroki-san will lead the formation due to his versatile quirk and judgment."_ he remembered the girl saying. _"I, as civilian, will be relatively safe in the middle. Our formation will be closed by Bakugo-san, who will guard the rears..."_

The plan appeared quite good and things were going smoothly. The three of them were trying to be as stealthy as possible, while maintaining stable speed. They were under time pressure, after all. Despite relative peace, Shouto kept his guard up. They could be ambushed at anytime.

Just as they were approaching a corner, Shouto gave his teammates a signal to halt. He then carefully looked around. They needed to cross a wide street and then disappear among buildings again. He made sure the area was secure before giving the signal to keep going. They crossed the distance to relative safety swiftly and silently like a group of three shadows.

They kept going.

Minutes have passed, which worried Todoroki. Something was not right. At this point in time, he expected the confrontation with the villain team, as per Yaoyorozu's prediction. He could sense that Bakugo was also restless, awaiting his role in the plan. The opposing team had all means to detect them swiftly in form of Shoji. They could pursue them easily, Iida was made for that. They could lay sticky traps, courtesy of Mineta. But nothing like that was happening.

It was too quiet.

Another street was crossed and once again, Todoroki's team disappeared in the path between two buildings. Suddenly, Shouto raised his arm and his team halted in an instant. Finally, at the end of the path, before them stood Ingenium.

Todoroki attacked with fire instantly, covering the entire narrow passage before him in flames. But he wasn't fooled. Iida was fast enough to retreat using the only path available to him. But Todoroki knew better than to relax.

"Bakugo!" he yelled.

"Shut up!" the angry student yelled back, but complied nonetheless. He immediately turned around, aiming his super move and waiting for Ingenium to arrive. Tenya was as fast, if not faster, than ever but that didn't matter, as he has shown up once again, only to be welcomed by Bakugo's huge explosion. It failed to reach him however, but that was to be expected.

It was part of the plan.

" _When we engage in battle, our first priority is to stop Iida-san from pursuing us."_ Shouto recalled Momo's words, _"we won't be able to escape otherwise. We need you, Bakugo-san, to engage Iida-san in a battle and prevent him from chasing me and Todoroki-san. You are the only one with mobility and reflex to keep up with Iida-san. Eliminate him from the match if you can."_

And Bakugo was now gladly doing his part, if explosions coming from behind were of any indication. As for Shouto and Momo, they were running forward.

" _While Bakugo-san will be fighting Iida-san, Todoroki-san and I will focus on our swift escape,"_ the girl's voice sounded in Shouto's head. Just as the boy ran out of the corner, he created both the giant wall of ice and flames simultaneously, covering possible attacks from the sides. Shoji and Mineta were still out there somewhere, after all.

With that covered up, Todoroki only had to worry about what's in front of him and…

"Behind, Todoroki-san!" Momo warned harshly, Shouto reacted swiftly and faced who he expected. Shoji Mezo on the ground, likely after jumping from a near building. As predicted, Tentacole was using his dupli-arms to form protective barrier on his back, something usually used to hide and protect smaller people like Mineta.

Yaoyorozu predicted it.

" _Most likely Shoji-san and Mineta-san will try to intercept us at that moment. But I believe Todoroki-san can handle them. As Bakugo-san said, they will be moving as one unit."_ the girl's voice sounded in the teenager's head once again. _"Todoroki-san should use a wide...-"_

An enormous in size ice wall rushed into Mezo. Surprisingly, the attack immediately connected, trapping both him, and apparently Minorou in place. Shouto expected Shoji to dodge out of necessity, to fall back, or at least to be slowed down. And even if Tentacole wasn't able to avoid being immobilized, he could at least throw Minorou out of blast zone.

None of that had happened. Shouto had no reason to complain about that. But...

"Todoroki-san, your attack..." Yaoyorozu started.

"I know!" the boy in question answered, "I caused some collateral damage!" he admitted. His colossal Wall of Ice was larger in size than he intended and it damaged two buildings. Lack of sleep apparently weakened the teenager's control over his Quirk.

Or maybe it was because of yesterday. Or…

Doesn't matter right now!

"Let's get moving, Yaoyorozu!" he said and the girl nodded. They both started running in the direction of exit of the battleground, while keeping the formation. Suddenly something occurred to Shouto and he cursed inwardly. Todoroki utterly forgot about one factor. He slowed down, breaking the formation just to run alongside the girl. And sure enough, her breath was much heavier than his. "Can you keep up this pace?" Shouto asked, not looking at her face. Instead, he focused on the weighted bracelets she was wearing. "The exit is near," he added.

"Y- yes!" the acting civilian said between her breaths. Shouto felt her gaze on him, but he dared not look back at her. This was the first time they talked alone today… only now it isn't the time!

Focus, Shouto!

Soon they arrived in yet another narrow passage, the final one before the last open space leading to the exit. With Todoroki once again in the lead, they steadily slowed down as they were reaching the last corner, until Shouto gave the brunette signal to stop. His hand shoot behind him and landed on something soft. The boy looked back.

His hand rested on Yaoyorozu's breast and it took him several seconds to register what happened. Once he did, he retracted his hand as if he was burned.

"Sorry!" he apologized, looking away and sweating, "it wasn't on purpose, I swear!"

"It's.. okay Todoroki-san..." Momo muttered between her breaths before her eyes widened "I mean, it's not okay! Or… or rather it wasn't really… Anyway, we need to focus!" she exclaimed, her face matching her hero costume in colour and Shouto nodded. He still felt a strange warmth in his left palm that had nothing to do with his Quirk… He still kinda felt her softness…

Focus, right now! His head poked out of the corner and the boy scanned the main city street that led to the exit.

The street would look pretty secure and normal, right, if it wasn't for the fact that majority of the main street area were covered by orbs straight from Mineta's quirk! Even nearby buildings weren't spared from this fate. Todoroki concluded there were two possibilities: either the area was prepared in advance to slow them down, or Mineta was nearby all along, waiting for them. But then again, wasn't he with Shoji before? If he wasn't, it seemed unpractical for Tentacole to just pretend to protect Minorou, instead using his Quirk for something other… And why would they left Mineta as the last line of the defense?

This match was strange. Way too easy. And that worried Todoroki. He analyzed the situation for several more second before planning the next move.

"Yaoyorozu", he addressed the girl, looking back at her. Momo was on her knees, still heavy breathing. Todoroki furrowed his brows… even her face was still red from exhaustion. The aspiring hero realized he made a huge mistake… Pro hero should lessen the burden of the civilian, whenever possible! And he, Todoroki Shouto, forgot to treat her like one. True, the dark-haired girl was hero-in-training, but the weighted bracelets she was wearing were meant to negate that fact, to reduce her stamina and speed to resemble a level of ordinary, non-trained civilian. And now, with her exhaustion, she was even easier target for the villains.

Luckily, the exit was near. Still, Shouto needed to modify his original strategy.

"Yaoyorozu," he repeated, getting her attention. "Sorry, I made it too taxing for you. I nearly forgot to consider you as a civilian."

"D- Don't worry..." she breathed, standing up. Todoroki thought Aizawa will have something other to say than 'don't worry'. "We still have a few minutes... before time is up and... we are so close. We can win..."

"Yeah," Shouto said, swallowing and approaching her. "Sorry..."

"It's okay, no need for apologies… we just need-" Momo didn't get to tell the boy what they need, because he acted swiftly, and before the girl managed to register what happened, she ended up being carried by Todoroki bridal-style. "W- whaaa?!" she squealed.

"I'll take you to the exit," the half-and-half boy said, "the area up ahead is covered by Mineta's orbs, we can't take a risk just walking through there when you're like that... I'll use my ice to move us above ground, right to the exit", he explained.

"But… I weight much more with those bracelets," Momo argued.

"No problem. I'll be using my quirk, anyways." Todoroki said, looking down at the girl. "You're still exhausted. Even your face is still red," he noticed.

"That's… Shouldn't you carry me on your back?" the girl questioned.

"Normally, yes..." the boy agreed, "but not in this case. Those bracelets give you additional weight and you are tired. There is a risk of you letting go of me and falling. And I cannot allow that. Don't worry," he added, hoping to bring something similar to a reassuring smile on his face. The kind a hero would give a person in need. "You'll be safe".

To that, the girl said nothing, just nodded her head. Shouto had no idea if that worked, but nonetheless directed them towards the main street. He needed to ready his Quirk to move them above the obvious trap, instead of using it to cool down his cheeks. Why would that even be a big deal?

It was common for heroes to bring people to safety, anyways.

* * *

Shouto looked around carefully and activated his Quirk, creating a bridge of ice above the ground. Of course, as the cold construction was being created Todoroki was already "surfing" on top of it. And of course, Yaoyorozu Momo was still is his arms. The girl accepted the plan and was mostly motionless, if it wasn't apparent she didn't knew what to do with her hands.

The boy did his best to ignore that he was carrying his crush, who rejected him just yesterday… Focusing on his task instead, he had to admit that it was fortunate he was able to pull something like this. The additional weight from the bracelets could have mattered otherwise. If he was running while carrying her, he would deplete his stamina pretty quickly…

He thought he'll need to do more physical training, just in case of situations like these… Or just to not be left behind in terms of physical strength and stamina to people like Sado, Shoji, Tetsutetsu or Togata-senpai.

Suddenly, Todoroki sensed swift movement on his left. Not being quick enough to fully react, the boy received fast strike to his side. How could he doze off like that!

Fortunately, he was hit on his shoulder and Yaoyorozu was not harmed.

Unfortunately, he lost balance and together with Momo, he felt of the bridge, falling into pit filled with sticky orbs.

Todoroki reacted instinctively, protecting the acting civilian from fall damage with his own body, while unleashing his ice quirk at the same time. He was able to construct an icy slope that managed to lessen the impact of the fall. Also, the ice expanded, neutralizing Mineta's orbs nearby.

The pain told Todoroki the impact was mostly minimized for Yaoyorozu, not for him. He still endured additional force from her weighted bracelets.

"Todoroki-san, are you alright?!" the girl asked.

"Yeah, I think..." he answered, trying not to groan, "more importantly, are you?"

"Yes..." Yao-momo replied, before both of them realized their position.

She was practically lying on top of him. Her eyes widened and she raised on her two feet swiftly, letting Shouto get up as well. Well, that was awkward…

"Ah!" Momo yelled and Todoroki's attention snapped to her. Mineta's grape whip hit the girl's arm, attaching it to one of the orbs. Todoroki furrowed, analyzing the situation and noticed his opponent's newest modification to his costume… his gloves was made of some sturdy and heavy material. That's probably was what enabled the otherwise weak opponent to strike with notable force.

After gaining momentum, that is.

"Damn it, Todoroki! That was smooth!" Minoru yelled in squeaky voice. What the hell was supposed to be smooth? The 'landing'? "And you, Yaoyorozu, you're staying right here!" he shouted, attaching the other end of the whip to the ground.

Todoroki reacted swiftly, sending a fire blast in the direction of the pipsqueak. It missed, Minorou escaped by bouncing off his orbs. The small hero-in-training bounced off another one. And another. And another still. He moved swiftly and unpredictably, yet he was still not attacking.

Shouto realized Mineta was stalling. The villain team will win if time's up, right? He won't let that happen!

"What's wrong, Todoroki?!" Mineta taunted, "I bet you can't hit me! You can't do anything!" Shouto followed Minoru's taunt with a fire blast. Then another. Both missed. "See, Todoroki?!" the small teenager yelled. "No matter what you try, you can't hit me!" he taunted before crashing with a smooth, compressed and most importantly hard ice wall that seemingly appeared from nowhere. He then slipped down to the ground.

"Fire was a distraction," Todoroki said to no one in particular, before facing Momo, who was still held by the whip. "I'll help you with that, Yaoyorozu. Try stretch the whip and let me handle the rest," he said and the girl nodded, trying to move her hand as far back as possible. Shouto's fist lit on fire. "Flashfire Fist!" he yelled, striking the stretched whip and dissolving it near the point of impact. Yaoyorozu was freed.

"Thank you!" she said with a relief. Her face become stern, "we should hurry! We are short on time!" she said.

"Agreed!" Todoroki confirmed, looking in the direction of the exit. "It's very near" he then froze the area ahead of him, neutralizing Mineta's orbs and then send a wave of heat, creating a safe path to the exit. "There's no more obstacles. Let's go!" he said and Yaoyorozu nodded. Both of them ran to end the match.

Shouto knew Yaoyorozu was still going to burn her stamina much faster than he was, but it didn't matter right now. They have won. The victory is right before their eyes! And there are no obstacles to stop-

Todoroki's lungs emptied and he exalted swiftly, feeling a punch to the gut that came from apparently nowhere. The strength of the blow was enough for the boy's vision to darken briefly. He landed on his back.

"Todoroki-san!" he heard Yaoyorozu call. He was about to answer when the other, familiar voice sounded.

"Octoblow!"

Still on the ground, Todoroki reacted swiftly, creating thick and compressed ice wall before him, hoping it will endure Shoji's barrage of blows for long enough. The ice began cracking as Tentacole, not wanting to lose his momentum, continued his vicious attacks. It did its job. Shouto managed to make sure Yaoyorozu was still safe behind him, he get up and prepared, waiting. Waiting for the ice wall to be weak enough.

He unleashed the stream of fire forward, right through the wall and hopefully into his opponent. But no such luck. Shoji apparently predicted that move, he had enough time to shield himself with a chunk of the ground he just shrew off like it was nothing. His sheer strength was just that high.

As the steam from the fire was dissolving, Todoroki analyzed the situation. The hole in the ground… He must have stretched his Dupli-arms under the ground to catch Todoroki off-guard and attack him. It certainly succeeded. But, first of all...How the hell Shoji was even here? His opponent straightened himself up and Shouto noticed one of his tentacle-like arms was bleeding at one spot… Todoroki's eyes widened. If that was what he thought it was, Tentacole really took his Quirk to the next level…

Shoji was not attacking, obviously planning to stall just like Mineta did. Shouto couldn't just use any massive attacks. Huge in scale ice attack could be useful here, if it wasn't for the fact that it would block the way to exit, and that's the last thing they needed right now.

Fire would do that as well… Plus, he would need to keep channeling it if he was to stop Mezo, which was only worse.

What's more, from this distance, Shoji will have more than enough time to dodge smaller attacks. And even so, he might have enough raw strength to break through his weaker ice bursts. So, the choice was obvious.

"Yaoyorozu!" he said to his teammate, "run to the exit!" he ordered, "I'll engage him in hand-to-hand combat!"

"But… He's heteromorphic-" the girl started arguing back.

"That's the only way to keep him busy enough to not intercept you! Go!" Todoroki said, already using surfing on ice to engage his opponent. The girl exhaled loudly and started running to the exit. Shouto jumped and landed before Shoji, trying to freeze his opponent on the spot, but to no avail. Shoji leapt as well, making Todoroki dodge insanely heavy punch. Their brawl began, but knocking each other out was no one's true intention. Todoroki, doing his best to keep his adversary occupied and give Yaoyorozu time. Shoji, he was more concerned with finding an opening to intercept Momo. All while both of them were cautious of the other.

The exchange of attacks was lasting a bit longer than Shouto anticipated, as Mezo just dodged a toned-down version of Flashfire Fist. Momo, with all the burden, was certainly much slower than usual. Todoroki avoided Shoji's punch by hair's breadth, before clenching his left fist in another Flashfire. Mezo reacted immediately, but it was merely a bait. While still being retracted, Shoto's fist opened, sending stream of fire forward. Mezo covered himself with three of his dupli-arms.

Got him, Todoroki thought as he kept channeling the fire. Now Yaoyorozu will be able to make it to the exit. That's how it was supposed to be. But Shoji instantly tackled Todoroki, knocking him into the ground. Before the boy could do something, he received another blow, right in his stomach, letting out the air that gathered in his lungs.

Damn it!

"No hard feelings, Todoroki!" Shoji said, raising his arms and preparing three fists for the finishing blow. Shouto clenched his teeth, his right hand on the ground, ready to counter at the perfect time when…

 **thud**

That was not his counterattack. That was not Shoji's punch, reaching its target. In fact, it was Mezo who staggered a little from the attack... That didn't make any sense…

Todoroki blinked once. Then twice.

Momo Yaoyorozu was standing next to Shoji, staff in her hand… she was breathing heavily, her pose indicated she was recovering from the swing…

What? Where did she get that? Todoroki wondered before he managed to comprehend what just happened. No. That couldn't have happened… Not from Yaoyorozu…

"WHAT THE HELL?!" he heard a very angry voice behind him… So Bakugo was apparently done with Iida and he just arrived here… "DON'T TELL ME YOU…!"

"Yaoyorozu Momo has used her quirk. The hero team is disqualified!" all of them could hear Aizawa's announcement from a speaker.

* * *

"So that is how I am capable of replicating my body with my Quirk" Shoji explained to everyone in the middle of the match review. He demonstrated it by creating additional extensions from his Dupli-Arms, and morphing it into nearly identical replica of himself. He then reversed the process.

"Impressive," Aizawa stated, "so in the middle of a match, you detached your replica, fooling everyone into thinking you were incapacitated. Though how are you capable of replicating your costume as well?"

"I am not. I just manipulate the texture and melanin in my skin" was Mezo's answer.

It made sense, Todoroki though, standing nearby. Now that's Aizawa finished with team of Mineta and Shoji (Iida was being treated by Recovery Girl), it was time to…

"Now, let's address something. Yaoyorozu!" Aizawa said harshly, getting the girl's attention. She was looking positively guilty. "Your broke the rules. Your teammates' job maybe was unexpectedly sloppy for them, but hero team could have won this match. What is with you?" Eraserhead asked, and Momo held her head down. Todoroki was doing his best to keep his poker face, while Katsuki was angry enough to actually remain silent.

"I don't have good explanation," she admitted quietly. "It's just that… my body just started moving and before I-..."

"Ah- hahaha!" All Might laughed and stood next to Aizawa. "I understand! I perfectly understand, young Yaoyorozu! Every great hero has a moments like these!"

"Nonetheless, that's unacceptable and irrational in this instance," the homeroom teacher said harshly. "Rules are rules. I don't have much more to say, since you were a civilian in that situation. Make sure this situation never happens again. Now..." Aizawa's attention went to Shouto. "Todoroki. You weren't doing bad, but you were sloppy this time around. Let's start from what should be Bakugo's area of expertise, the collateral... " Aizawa begun his lecture, while Mineta whispered something akin to 'hierarchy!' to Todoroki.

Shouto was listening to his teacher's words, but his thoughts were not quite at the same page. True, he was sloppy. He made mistakes. With usage of his quirk, with tactics, with forgetting some basics, like how to treat a civilian during a rescue. But he more or less know what was the reason behind all of this.

And it seemed that the reason was also making mistakes…

"Remember everyone!" All Might took up after Aizawa was done with his lecture, "it is truly heartwarming to think how highly you value your teammates. That shows how you respect each other's skills. However, just in exercises like these you must keep the rules in mind. Otherwise, you won't get the best experience out of it!" Toshinori said loudly and Aizawa coughed. "Ah, right. Next match-up! Kyouka Jiro, Ashido Mina and Midoriya Izuku versus Eijirou Kirishima, Fumikage Tokoyami and Asui Tsuyu! Get ready!" the former number 1 hero announced.

Just as the students were marching away, Mina gazed from silent and poker-faced Todoroki to positively guilty Yaoyorozu. Ashido blinked once or twice, before going back to the reality and focusing on her next task.

* * *

 _So, here is where chapter 4 ends! And while there might be more questions than definitive answers, there is onem ore chapter to go, where things will become clear... The last chapter..._

 _Unless we count the fact that I have few ideas for an epilogue that could serve as a mini chapter 6... Or maybe I'll save them for some ficlets. I don't know yet._

 _Anyways, let me know what do you think of the chapter, if you feel like it. To be honest I had lot of fun while writing it and I would be happy to hear some opinions, regardless of what those opinions are._

 _Now, I would like to answer some reviews:_

 ** _fencer29:_** _N_ _ope, the evil author-sama didn't make you wait that long... Well, to be honest it is not especially short waiting time either, but to compensate that I decided to make a short plot summary that would hopefully help. Thank you for review!  
_

 ** _Sir Sleeps-a-Lot:_** _Wow, what you wrote in you review... is as if I actually got to play Trine with you or something... hmmm... that's interesting. And I wonder if your stance on possibility of Momo liking him back is any different now than it was back then. I also hope you enjoyed reading this one as well :)  
_

 ** _Xellos540:_** _I am glad that you enjoyed the chapter, although rather than enjoying reading about that, I have more fun with references you are making... Good inside jokes are not bad :)._

 ** _creativesm75:_** _(thumbs up) Thanks!  
_

 ** _wicholeweyes:_** _I am glad to hear that! The question is - do you love the direction still?_

 ** _K Double Prime:_** _Ladies and gentlemen, somebody did it. Somebody named Jin and Tsubaki (of course it is totally not like I made the class play Blazlbue. This statement is also not false at all)! You deserve an internet cookie. But you also deserve my thanks for input you provided. I try to apply at least some of it in this chapter!  
_

 ** _Mr . Icecream03:_** _Thank you very much for your review! I love the pair as well and I hope your heart will react well to what's to come :)_

 _With that, we'll see you next chapter. But first, I think I'll do a drabble or two in the meantime. Thank you for reading!_

 ** _-ZelgadisGW_**


	5. Chapter 5

_Hello dear readers!_

 _First of all, I wish you all a happy and fruitful new year. Second, I want to apologize for how long it took me to upload this chapter. I don't want to make excuses, but rather explain why: I initially expected this to be about ~5,000 words in length. My first draft was finished at 8,000 instead, the reason being Todoroki. It was hard to quickly make him say and do some things... in short - Shouto was resisting. A lot. After that, the feedback from my beta readers came, one of the critiques being serious enough that I needed to expand on some things, especially with Yaoyorozu. The result is over 11,000 words of a chapter._

 _But I think it was worth it._

 _Third, I'll respond to reviews and discuss something after the chapter ends._

 _And finally, enjoy the read :)._

 _- **ZelgadisGW**_

 _Ps. Sorry for not including a "plot so far" part. This document is long enough at it is... Sorry once again.  
_

* * *

Todoroki was looking at the ceiling.

He blinked twice, realizing that he was lying on the floor for some time now. After his disaster of a performance at the training and a solitary dinner, Shouto went straight to his Japanese-style room. He changed to more casual clothes and lied down. Usually, he was able to relax on tatami… not this time though. He was still restless.

And, as he realized, he was also unproductive.

He really needed to get a grip and finally talk to Yaoyorozu properly. It was one thing if Shouto was performing poorly. Him affecting the rich girl's performance was another. Despite having a little to no opportunity, Yaoyorozu made a mistake that resulted in their loss. That never happens. Not with her.

It was his fault.

He will apologize to her for his outburst. He'll approach her when she'll be free today... but he had no idea when that would be! Is she going to tutor someone today? Spend her time at the library? Study alone? Hang out with friends? Any other plans? Shouto didn't know, he really should have talked to her before today's classes started. That would be the easiest solution... If you can consider talking to your crush you have wronged easy...

Todoroki heard the firm knocking on his door. He raised his eyebrow in curiosity, before lazily getting up and approaching the door. He opened it just to face…

"Yo, Todoroki!"

"Um, Todoroki-kun..."

Shouto blinked. Kirishima, flashing his toothy grin at him. Midoriya Izuku was standing next to him, looking somewhat nervous and as if lost.

"What?" Todoroki asked exactly what was on his mind.

"Wanna play, Todoroki?" Eijiro said, bringing out the pack of cards.

"No," the half-and-half boy deadpanned with his poker face on. "I'm not in the mood to hang out with people. Sorry," he added after a moment of consideration.

"Well, don't be like that!" Eijiro said, his smile not disappeared as he was scratching the back of his head. "I've already tried Bakugo, but he slammed the door into my face. He's super pissed-off, I tell you! So..."

"So?" Todoroki crossed his arm.

"So I invited Midoriya! Right?" Kirishima tapped Deku's arm and the latter nodded. "Then we were passing through nearby and we thought we invite you too!"

"Passed nearby? Impossible. Midoriya's room is on the second floor. Mine's on the fifth." Todoroki frowned.

"Oh, details!" Kirishima countered and Izuku looked even more nervous. "Come on buddy, don't make us beg!"

"It will be more fun in three and you are the only one we can ask for at the moment," Midoriya said uncertainly. The silence followed until Todoroki sighed.

"Fine." He said finally, yielding. He had a feeling neither of them was here for a card game, though. Being his classmates and friends, they must have noticed his bad mood and most likely wanted to make sure he was okay. He couldn't blame them for that.

Shouto let his classmates in. Come to think of, it would be best to talk to Yaoyorozu when he'll be sure she is free. The card game can keep Shouto distracted for long enough for it to be certain.

* * *

Todoroki had some expectations of how the "card game" will go... But so far, his expectations were not met.

He expected his classmates to start asking him questions. Instead, they seemed genuinely interested in playing.

He expected some more complicated card game than Old Maid. But Kirishima insisted on that one. In his words: "coz it's simple and fun!" The name of the game reminded Todoroki of a maid, who retired from serving his household due to back injury.

He expected the game to feel awkward, but he found himself relaxing instead. Soon, he was already bantering with friends. Kirishima was lively talking about his match today, showing the bandage over his right arm.

If there were expectations that have been met, it was that Midoriya would end up losing the most.

"Again!" Deku said, experiencing defeat once more. His expression matched that of a lactose-intolerant individual looking at cheese.

"Too bad, Midoriya! Hope for better luck next time!" Kirishima said, shuffling the deck for another game. Then, another session started.

"Since when are you playing card games, Kirishima?" Shouto asked dryly, analyzing his hand.

"Been a while," was the answer. "You know, I like hanging out with Bakugo and card games are good for that. These don't involve him yelling." Kirishima smirked.

"Doesn't involve him being himself, you mean..."

"Unless Kacchan loses, I bet," Izuku added with a smile, discarding a pair of cards. Both Shouto and Ejiro looked at the greenhead in astonishment. "What? Kacchan is-"

"Well, Midoriya!" Kirishima praised, tapping the boy on his back. "Discarding a pair right away! We need to throw a party for this!" he said, embarrassing Izuku a bit.

"Please don't," Todoroki said. Not having any pair to discard, he took one card from Deku. No luck.

"Anyways..." Kirishima took Shouto's card and then discarded a pair on his own. "How it's going with Yaoyorozu?" the boy asked and Todoroki flinched. White-redhead narrowed his eyes, immediately tensing.

"Not much," he answered and hoped the question was accidental.

"Yaoyorozu-san?" Izuku wondered out loud in clear surprise. "What about her?"

"Nothing, " Shouto responded, looking Deku in the eyes. The boy seemed genuinely confused... The same couldn't be said about Kirishima. That made Todoroki narrow his eyes even more.

"Don't glare like that," Red Riot said nonchalantly. "You're not 'Earlyroki' anymore, bro. Remember?"

"Todoroki-kun, it's your turn again!" Izuku reminded nervously after discarding another pair. Todoroki blinked a few times, his expression returning to his usual poker face. Once again, the son of Endeavor didn't have any cards to discard, so he took another one from Midoriya. He then sighed.

"What's up? No luck, Todoroki?" Kirishima asked, looking at his hand. He took a card from Shouto before discarding a pair.

"As you can see," the boy answered and raised his card-holding hand a bit for emphasis. Deku took one card from Kirishima and discarded the next pair.

"Wow, Midroyia! Your luck has turned!" Eijiro grinned.

"Yeah!" Izuku nodded.

"You are right, Kirishima." Shouto took a card from Midoriya, "This time around, I am apparently out of luck", he then discarded a pair.

"By the way, I wasn't talking about an Old Maid, bro," the spiky-haired teen responded. Todoroki raised his dichromatic brows."Rather than old maids, I'd like to talk about young schoolgirls. Like Yaoyorozu." he said and he took a more stern expression. Izuku looked around confused, while Todoroki didn't react. The silence continued until Shouto sighed and extended his hand towards the red-haired boy.

"Take one. You haven't discarded anything."

"Don't change the subject, Todoroki".

"Keep to your own business, Kirishima." Shouto hissed back, making his friend frown. Red Riot was opening his mouth, but Deku beat him to it.

"Truth to be told, Todoroki-kun, you're been down today... Ever since the morning," the green-haired boy said uncertainly, "and you did poorly during our exercises today... relatively speaking!" Midoriya added hastily. Todoroki wasn't offended. It was a fact. "So when Kirishima-kun invited me to play card games with you, I thought it could help to cheer you up... Spending some time together as friends."

"Yeah," the toothy boy nodded as they kept playing the game. "You aren't at your best today, bro. We just wanna help, if you let us."

"I am not having a good day, that's for sure," Shouto said, looking at his hand. He discarded a pair. Either Deku hasn't drained all of his luck between games or losing more was just straight-up impossible. "I appreciate you being here. But Kirishima, don't assume that Yaoyorozu has anything to do with this."

"I don't think she does. But Mina thinks so," was Red Riot's response. Deku looked between the two boys, visibly confused once again.

"Eh? What does Yaoyorozu-san have to do with anything?"

"She doesn't, leave it." Todoroki countered, before narrowing his eyes at Kirishima. "Why are you so stubborn about this?"

"I wouldn't be... but Mina asked me to talk to you about it," Eijiro replied with a grin. "She noticed some things today and-"

"Your girlfriend would do good to stick to her own damn business," Todoroki snarled back and his friend's smile disappeared.

"But...-" Izuku interjected before Kirishima managed to respond. "Isn't getting involved in other people's businesses exactly what heroes are supposed to do? Especially if people need help?" He asked no-one in particular. Todoroki gazed at his green-haired friend, his features softening. True. Midoriya butting into his business was what changed Shouto's life for the better, after all. Kirishima did well to take Deku as his ally, even if the latter was clueless of the whole Yaoyorozu situation. The boy gazed at Eijiro once again.

"We are your friends, Todoroki. We just want to see if we can help," Kirishima said. That was what Shouto had in mind at the time.

"If you don't want to talk about it, then it is fine," Deku said nervously, his hands raised defensively. "Just in case you need it, you can always talk to us," he said, but Shouto reminded unconvinced. "Remember? You and Iida cheering me up? When I had an internship with Sir Nighteye?" he asked and saw recognition in the boy's eyes. "I could count on you back then. You can count on me in return." Deku gave him a small smile.

Shouto sighed and then silence followed. He wrestled with his own thoughts for a bit, before from one of his friends to the other before sighing again. The 'Midoriya Effect' was in place, weakening Shouto's resolve to resist, diminishing his need to stay alone with his problem. Thus, Todoroki's features softened once again.

"Fine. We can talk," he said after a while. He addressed Kirishima. "But let me say this: Ashido would really do great, had she put as much energy and interest into studying. Would be great for her grades."

"Haha, that's true!" Red Riot admitted, "but it's just how she is. Believe me or not, she's really great at noticing and remembering things around her... Also, she gives her all during exercises!" he raised his bandaged arm on emphasis. Shouto nodded in recognition.

"So, what is bothering you, Todoroki-kun?" Izuku inquired.

"It is about Yaoyorozu, after all," Shouto admitted, leaning back and looking at the ceiling. "It's just... that I asked her out," he admitted after a moment.

"R- really? That's so brave, Todoroki-kun!" Midoriya's eyes widened in surprise. Kirishima kept quiet.

"But she rejected me," the half-and-half boy continued gloomily, making Izuku tense. "And I haven't slept well because of it. That's about it, more or less."

"I'm sorry to hear that!" Deku mumbled out swiftly. He then started mumbling some more, but it was barely recognizable.

"Sorry, Todoroki," Kirishima said after a while. "But this is not the end of the world, you know? Just because she rejected you once does not mean you won't have a chance in the future," Red Riot stated matter-of-factly.

"That is not all. I..." Shouto started and hesitated. "I didn't react well to it. I know I shouldn't, but I did it."

"What do you mean?" Izuku inquired slowly.

"I yelled at her," Shouto admitted, looking away a bit.

"Oh, man..." Eijiro summed up with a sigh, while Deku flinched with a troubled expression.

"She went back to her room," Todoroki continued gloomily, "slammed the door behind her. I regretted immediately," Todoroki looked at the ceiling again. "I shouldn't treat her like that... She deserves better, much better..." he paused for a moment. "I had trouble sleeping that night..." both of his friends nodded after another pause. Deku fidgeted in place before speaking up.

"I don't have much experience with girls, Todoroki-kun... none at all," he admitted, blushing slightly. "But you and Yaoyorozu-san were always at good terms, right? I think you should go and apologize to her... I'm sure she'll accept... She's very kind." Izuku said. "I know it's not much... but at least you might still have a chance in the future?" Midoriya was clearly unsure of his own words. Todoroki didn't blame him - after all, by Deku's own admission, he had no experience with girls. Still, he was trying to help and Shouto was grateful for that.

"I was going to do that, Midoriya" the half-and-half boy responded.

"Why did Yaoyorozu reject you, though?" Kirishima suddenly asked, leaning forward and Shouto blinked in confusion.

"Why she rejected me?" he questioned, frowning.

"Yeah. Why?"

"I think the fact she did means she... isn't interested in me in that way, " Todoroki stated after a while, once again looking at his celling. "I think she might respect me, my merit as the future hero, but nothing more," he said and Deku opened his mouth, but Red Riot raised his hand to silence the greenhead.

"How do you know she doesn't like you?" Kirishima inquired, touching his chin.

"She rejected me," the half-and-half boy said, crossing his arms.

"She did. But that doesn't necessarily means she doesn't like you," Eijiro said, straightening himself. Both of his friends gave him a questioning look. Deku looked as if he was about to say something, but has given up. Todoroki, however, gave Red Riot a response.

"How can you be so sure, Kirishima? You already have Ashido. You weren't rejected." Shouto was surprised at the amount of bitterness in his voice.

"Man, that's not fair, you know?" Kirishima pouted, crossing his arms. "Yeah, Mina and I are dating right now. But that doesn't mean she had never rejected me before!" he exclaimed, both his friends looking at him in askance.

"But... You two started dating at the beginning of this school year, right?" Deku asked and Eijiro nodded. "Right after the principal's speech?" Another nod. "In public!" Yet another nod.

"She said yes, I saw that. Even if I didn't care much, " Todoroki interjected. "So, what's your point?" He asked and Eijiro exhaled.

"You guys, you just assumed it was the first time I asked her out, right? Because it was not!" Kirishima exclaimed.

"It wasn't?" Deku asked, fidgeting, "we haven't seen any other time, though..."

"Precisely," Todoroki nodded.

"Oh yeah, because asking girls out in public is what everyone is doing. Totally normal!" Kirishima responded sarcastically. Izuku widened his eyes, and then scratched the back of his head. He blushed, looking away. Todoroki gazed at the floor, feeling as silly as Deku. Of course, Shouto could tell from his short experience. Asking the girl out in private would be much more preferable than public confession. After all, Endeavor's son himself complained earlier that girls seem to move in herds.

"So... What does that have to do with my situation?" Todoroki inquired after a moment of awkward silence.

"I was getting to it," Kirishima responded, "The first time I asked Mina out was months ago. The beginning of the last semester... I did it in private." Eijiro blushed slightly, scratching his cheek. Still, he has not averted his gaze. "And she rejected me back then..." he told his friends and they haven't responded. "To be honest, I sympathize with you Todoroki. I know how it feels," the bleached redhead scratched the back of his head. Todoroki nodded in direction of his friend. "It hurt, but I decided to do something about it... I asked her why she rejected me."

"What was the reason? I- if we may know, of course!" Izuku said, still fidgeting in place. Shouto looked at Kirishima in askance. Ashido and Yaoyorozu clearly were different people... but still, if there was anything that could help...

"She said to me she still waits for something..." he said and seeing his classmate's clueless expressions, he elaborated: "I need to explain that one... So, Mina and I knew each other since middle school. Before I get into U.A, I went through a lot of preparation. Working on my character... Training my Quirk and body... Image change," he motioned to his spiky red hair. "When I began the first year at U.A, I kinda promised something to her. Kinda... Long story short, I needed to prove to her that I left my old, pathetic, middle-school self behind. That I genuinely live up to my new image. I failed to do it the first time I asked her out... I succeeded in the second time." By now, Eijiro's cheeks were similar in colour to his hair.

"What are you saying?" Todoroki asked, his hand on his chin.

"Mina had a reason why she rejected me. She was waiting for me to deliver what I promised," Kirishima explained, clearly embarrassed. Still, he looked Todoroki directly in the eyes. "And when I learned that reason, I knew what I had to do. It took more work on my part, but all in all, it ended well." Kirishima explained and gave his friend a toothy smile. "You know this already, bro, but approaching the girl and asking her out requires some guts. A specific type of bravery," he said, patting Deku at the back. "I think you have the right to ask the girl for her reasons. Of course, the girl might prefer to keep them for herself but..." Kirishima paused for a brief moment, looking at Shouto's expression. A different kind of expression than the stern one. "We know Yaoyorozu. She was always a very kind person, even in rejecting boys."

"She always seemed to respect you, Todoroki-kun," Izuku interjected, leaning towards Shouto a bit. "I'm... I'm sure that once you talk it out with her, things will get better..."

"And what if she just doesn't like me?" Shouto asked, his poker face on. But deep inside, he felt better.

"Well, maybe she doesn't. But maybe one day she will. Who knows," Ejiro said with a smile, leaning back. "But dude, you won't find out about that with doing nothing... And it is always better to act than regret things later... After all, chivalry...-"

"-is a life led without regrets! A quote from Crimson Riot!" Deku, the local superhero fanboy finished with a spark in his eyes.

"Exactly, Midoriya!" Red Riot praised his classmate. He then turned to Shouto. "So, Todoroki? What are you going to do?"

The half-and-half boy looked down, contemplating. As he already planned, he will talk to Yaoyorozu and apologize to her... But this time around, he definitely is going to go to the bottom of things. Find out her reasons - she certainly has some. Yaoyorozu was kind - even when rejecting him, she apologized. This angered Todoroki at first, but now it was obvious to him that it was an act of kindness. If the class vice-president was kind enough to consider his feelings and apologize, then she'll likely find kindness to explain her reasons to him. Even if she simply doesn't return his feelings, Kirishima had a point - it doesn't mean it will neccesarily last forever.

Only one way to find out...

"I planned to apologize to her in the first place," Shouto responded after a while. "But now, I'll try to find out her reasons as well. And do something about them, if possible. Thank you," he said, bowing his head to them. "You helped me a lot".

"No problem bro, no need to bow!" Ejiro said, raising his hands a bit.

"B- but I didn't do anything!" Midoriya scratched his head nervously.

"No," the multi-colored hair boy straightened himself. "Without you, Midoriya, there wouldn't be this conversation in the first place..." he looked at his other friend. "Someone clearly had a reason to bring you here."

"If you say so..." Izuku said and Ejiro smiled brightly.

"Can I ask you two for this talk to remain between us?" Shouto asked.

"Of course!" Midoriya responded.

"Sure. Don't worry about it." Kirishima said with a thumb up. "I don't have to tell Mina all the details".

"You don't have to tell her anything... Although she'll pester you about it, I assume," Shouto exhaled.

"I'll just tell her I talked with you about it. Should be enough for the time being," Kirishima assured the boy. "But anyway, let's return to the game... By the looks of it, you're going to have your butt kicked this time around, Todoroki!" he smirked.

"No kidding," Todoroki nodded his head.

They continued to play the Old Maid and as expected, this time around Shouto has lost. Then a few more games followed until both of Todoroki's classmates have left. Not before hearing thanks from Todoroki once more. Being left alone with his own thoughts, Shouto smiled slightly. Ejiro's advice might be simple and obvious, but not to people like Endeavor's son. It was good that he received it. But that was not important. The important thing is, Shouto still had some hope in his heart.

Come to think of it, his classmates are future heroes. Giving people hope is what heroes do.

* * *

The time has come.

Todoroki closed the door to his dorm, being restless. He had planned to wait until late afternoon to approach Yaoyorozu, but he couldn't prolong it any longer. The corridor was silent, which indicated most of his classmates were probably hanging out in the common room. He'll start from there. No matter how many people would be there, he'll ask Yaoyorozu to talk face-to-face. If others have enough courage to confess in public, then Todoroki was sure he could handle asking for a conversation. The boy had half of mind to use an escalator, but he rejected the idea.

What if Yaoyorozu was walking up to the staircase right now?

As unlikely as the scenario would be, Shouto decided to use stairs instead. Just in case. Also, it would give him more time to think...

Without any new and groundbreaking thoughts, he arrived in the common room. It was just as expected. There were a lot of people hanging in there. Some were watching the news on TV. Some were busy with small talks and gossips. Some were interested in an arm-wrestling match between the Dark Shadow and Sado. The competition was so conspicuous that nobody minded Todoroki's arrival.

Some of his female classmates were hanging out here as well. Hagakure, Tsuyu, and Uraraka. Yaoyorozu, on the other hand, was nowhere near in sight. That was not a problem. If she was not in the common room, she could be found either in her dorm or maybe in the U.A. library. Shouto decided to bet on the first option. After a slight hesitation, he walked past the common room, directing himself towards the right side of their Height Alliance building. Exactly where girls' dorms were located. He didn't get to go far, as two people arrived from the nearest corner. One was Kyoka Jiro.

The other was Momo Yaoyorozu.

Both parties halted instantly, gazing at each other. Momo wore casual clothes, mainly consisting of a t-shirt and shorts. Her dark, beautiful hair was currently down, free from being restrained by the usual ponytail. All of that gave her a very approachable look. Good. Shouto needed any small help he could get. Todoroki's heartbeat hastened as he opened his mouth.

"Yaoyorozu...-"

"Todoroki-san...-" Momo said at the same time. Both ace students briefly traded gazes and then looked away. Moment of uncomfortable silence followed before Shouto made himself look at his crush again. He raised his brows. She was still gazing away and she looked visibly tense. It was until Jiro tapped her arm and gave her best friend a look. Todoroki couldn't tell what that look was supposed to mean, but Kyoka didn't give him the time to figure it out. She walked past them and headed to the common room.

They were left alone. Do it, Todoroki!

"Yaoyorozu... I would like to talk. In private," he added, eyeing her face. To his relief, the girl looked at him and nodded. Shouto took the opportunity to try gaze in her pretty black orbs... But the girl averted them. Todoroki swallowed. "Where would you like to...?"

"Actually, Todoroki-san..." Momo cut him off. "I was actually thinking... we could talk on campus..." she suggested. Todoroki raised his brow in a question and Yaoyorozu's hand went up, her finger playing with a lock of her own hair. "There would be... more peace around," she added. Shouto turned his head towards the common (and loud) room before nodding. That was not a bad idea. On the one hand, he would like to speak with her in a more private setting than campus, but on the other hand, it would be more awkward than necessary to invite her to his room. Or vice versa. Talking on campus was also definitely better than doing so in the common areas.

"Yes, we can do that," he agreed with a nod. The rich girl exhaled silently and returned the gesture. Todoroki was the first to make a move and as soon as he did, Yaoyorozu followed him.

Both attempted to appear invisible to their classmates when heading towards the main exit.

* * *

They were walking in silence.

The hour was not so young anymore and the sun was slowly but surely ending its journey for the day. The sporadic and weak breeze provided favourable conditions for an aimless walk. It was well and good because that was what Shouto and Momo were doing at the moment - wandering at the U.A campus without any specific destination.

Not that Todoroki didn't have a goal in mind. He just wondered if his classmate did as well. He gazed at her and let himself be distracted with the wind dancing on her black locks. The boy blinked, before directing his interest at her profile. Yaoyorozu looked as if she was lost in thoughts of her own. The two of them didn't share a single word once they walked out of Height Alliance and Todoroki decided it can't stay this way. Things needed to be done. He halted his walk. Yaoyorozu reacted quickly, stopping as well, before facing him.

"Todoroki-san?" the schoolgirl asked quietly. She was looking rather troubled at the moment. Todoroki swallowed, before gathering his resolve once again and bowing before her.

"Please, accept my apologies, Yaoyorozu," he said earnestly. "Yesterday, I disrespected you and I am truly sorry for that. I shouldn't have done that. Please, forgive me," he continued in one breath. He didn't move, his heart beating fast, not even daring to twitch before hearing a response.

"Um... you really don't have to..." Momo said softly and the boy straightened himself. The girl's eyes were widened in surprise, her hands placed before her. "You don't need to go that far... In fact, you don't need to apologize in the first place, Todoroki-san!" Yaoyorozu said in a slight panic, her cheeks slightly pink.

"I... disrespected you yesterday," Todoroki said firmly, looking at Momo's face. The girl's black orbs avoided his gaze. "I regret that... You deserve... to be treated much better..." Shouto said and exhaled. The girl shifted in place, before her gaze stopped at Todoroki's feet.

"Todoroki-san, it was my fault as well..." Yaoyorozu uttered silently and the boy disagreed... His behaviour was not acceptable. It was something his old man would do, though that was not a thing he could just say to her... She wasn't privy to his family circumstances, almost no one was. Even if he decided to explain it to her, right there and right now, he wouldn't even know where to start. What would be an excuse for his action? That his father's treatment left him a mess? That his circumstances made him express anger and frustration easier than anything else? No. His behaviour was his own responsibility now. No excuses. The lack of respect he had shown to her yesterday didn't sit well with him.

"Todoroki-san?" the boy heard Momo's voice, silent but filled with concern. Shouto blinked twice before perking up a bit.

"Sorry," he apologized once again, exhaling. "I was thinking and-..."

"It's okay," Momo cut him off, raising her gaze a bit to meet Todoroki's. It was either Todoroki's imagination or the girl swallowed before taking a deeper breath to speak. "The truth is... If only I handled... the situation from yesterday a bit better... Everything would be..." she halted and averted her gaze. She clenched the fabric of her shirt before speaking again. "Normal..."

"No," Todoroki denied. "What I said yesterday was... my responsibility." He raised his dichromatic brows when the girl shook her head.

"N- no!" Momo protested raising her hands. "If I was more... considerate, you wouldn't do that, Todoroki-san!" she said. It was either a shade of pink on her cheeks or the light was tricking Todoroki's eyes. Quite possible: the sun was already pretty low, giving the sky orange-pinkish look. "You're a kind person..." she added before Shouto could disagree. The girl placed her hands behind her back. "I apologize, Todoroki-san..." she said, bowing her head.

"You don't have to, Yaoyorozu..." Todoroki swallowed, this time he raised his hands in front of him.

"I think I do, Todoroki-san..." Yaoyorozu straightened herself.

"If it wasn't for me..."

"If I acted properly..."

It took them a minute or two before something obvious occurred to them. They were bargaining. They were actually bargaining over which one of them deserved the apology. As soon as the pair realized this, they stopped. Todoroki gazed slightly to the side, scratching his head. Momo fidgeted in place, shifting her center of balance between two legs, unable to stay in place. She then exhaled.

"Um... I'll accept your apology, Todoroki-san, but only if you accept mine," she said to him, looking in his direction.

"Deal," he responded, gazing back at her. He noticed her pretty lips curving up in a small smile. He attempted to respond with a smile on his own. The girl raised her brows before swiftly looking away. Huh? A silence fell afterwards, unless you count the wind dancing on the air and on branches of one sakura tree. There were also footsteps of some people passing by. There weren't many of them, but they weren't unexpected either - they were in public space, after all. Passers-by still threw curious glances at the two 2-A aces, though. Todoroki shifted uncomfortably and Momo distracted herself with a falling sakura petal, when...

"Hello there, Yaoyorozu!" Itsuka Kendo appeared out of nowhere, tapping the girl on her arm. Momo flinched, her head immediately turned to her redhead friend. With a slight annoyance, Shouto looked in the same direction as well and noticed that Kendo arrived in a company of her friend, Setsuna Tokage. They had to butt in just now, out of all times.

"Kendo-san!" Momo exhaled.

"What are you two doing right there, standing in the middle of the walkway?" the redhead asked and continued before her friendly rival could reply. "You two better move away, people are staring at you weirdly. Just take Tokage for example!" she pointed at her green-haired friend with her thumb.

"What'cha mean, Kendo?" the lizard lover countered, arms on her chest. "It is you who noticed them," she shrugged.

"Party pooper," Kendo replied. "Anyway, my advice still stands, you know?" she said to Yaoyorozu once again.

"Maybe you're right, Kendo-san..." Momo admitted, looking away. Itsuka took advantage of that and gazed in the direction of an annoyed Todoroki. The Endeavor's son established brief eye contact with the tomboy for a brief moment. Then something happened.

Itsuka winked at him.

Shouto was never great at reading social clues. He knew that. But, he also knew that Itsuka wasn't exactly neutral here. She could - or at least she thought so - tell what the boy was trying to accomplish here. He talked to her about it before, after all. Todoroki realized that she was not there to annoy or disturb neither him nor Yaoyorozu - though she probably considers embarrassing the latter as a bonus.

No, she was there for a message. And that message was: "move somewhere more private".

Todoroki gave Itsuka a barely noticeable nod. She smirked and let go of Yaoyorozu.

"We'll be off, then. Tokage wants to rant to me about dinosaurs, scales, and feathers!" she said cheerfully.

"You asked for it yourself. Take some responsibility, class rep!" Setsuna grinned back. "Till later, Todoroki, Yaoyorozu!" the fellow recommended student said, as they walked away."

"See ya!" Kendo said. Todoroki only nodded in response and Momo wished her friends a good day. It was back to her and Shouto standing in the same spot once again. This time, however, the atmosphere seemed more relaxed. Whether it was because of Itsuka butting-in or them apologizing to each other, Shouto didn't know. However, he knew that making a suggestion was easier now.

"I think we should really move somewhere, Yaoyorozu... I want to ask you something," he said. Momo looked at him and nodded twice.

"Y- yes," she said quietly, "after you, Todoroki-san".

* * *

Todoroki was not sure of his destination. All he really needed was a place protected from the prying eyes. He wouldn't have thought that the park near the campus would do, but the place was large and - at this hour - with very few people. It was almost good enough. The boy looked around.

Some benches here, some benches there. And a lot of sakura trees, with their petals dancing in the wind. Todoroki gazed in Yaoyorozu's direction... Previously she seemed interested in falling petals, so the boy hoped she'll be enjoying the scenery. But it was not the case. The girl was lost in her own thoughts at the moment. The Endeavor's son suppressed the sigh before looking around and noticing something.

One spot, little off the main park area. Protected with shadows cast from the sakura trees. Two figures standing in such a place, Todoroki imagined, would be protected well enough from unwanted attention. This spot will do.

Todoroki swallowed. He'll need to ask Yaoyorozu question or two. He coughed and got the girl's attention. The boy motioned to the spot he had in mind and Yaoyorozu's eye's widened. It seemed as if the girl noticed her surroundings for the first time. Her shoulders stiffened as she closed her eyes and gave the boy a nod. In no time at all, Todoroki's back hit the bark of the tree and Momo did the same next to him. For a brief moment, Shouto wondered on how to formulate his question, but Yaoyorozu didn't give him the luxury of time. She exhaled, shifting in place before speaking.

"Um... What it is, Todoroki-san?" she breathed, not looking at his direction. It was pretty dark, anyways...

"It's..." Todoroki started before halting. The small wave of heat threatened to invade his face, as his heart hastened its pace. He refused to use his Quirk to correct that, however. He wanted to be as honest and open with the girl as possible. "I... understand the decision you made yesterday, Yaoyorozu..." he said, as she shifted in place once again. "But... I want to understand why you did it," he elaborated. "I would like to know why you rejected me," Todoroki finished. For some time, the only sound he could hear was his own heartbeat and the wind. Finally, his crush has spoken.

"I think... I owe you that explanation, Todoroki-san..." Momo said to the boy. He turned into her direction and was surprised that the girl looked in his. "You know... I could clearly see you haven't slept well that night..." she whispered. "Your scar might mask those bags really well... but not the ones under your right eye..." Momo said, before shifting nervously. Todoroki couldn't find any proper words to respond with, so he just nodded.

"It would be good to start from the beginning, I guess..." Yaoyorozu said quietly. "I... am not oblivious to advances from boys, Todoroki-san... I never was..." she paused, giving Todoroki a look, but he didn't react in any visible way. She took a breath and continued. "Most of the time, acting oblivious serves to protect both me and... boys who approach me... sometimes, I had to be more blunt and direct about rejecting some more... open, brave souls," she shifted once again against the tree. "Still, I've always made sure to be as considerate as I could... and I think I failed at it yesterday..." she added with a hint of guilt in her voice. Todoroki, yet again confirmed he understood her with a nod.

"As you surely know, Todoroki-san, I come from an influential hero family..." she continued, raising her head and gazing at the petals above. "And while it is not a law set in stone... I am fairly certain my family would frown upon me if my..." she started playing with one of her locks in the dark, searching for the proper word. "...Partner... would end up not living to my family's standards..."

"So..." Todoroki said after a while, his fingers clenching the bark behind him. "You rejected me because of your family?" he asked, but before Momo could answer, a wave of panic hit him. "Does your family arrange marriages? Quirk marriages?" he asked with anxiety.

"W-what? No!" Momo protested waving her hands. "Nothing of the sort! Where did that idea come from?" she asked, but Shouto flinched and looked away. He wasn't exactly eager to explain that. He remained silent, the girl took a breath before speaking. "As I said, it is not something set in stone... It is just my family would be much more likely approve of someone with... similar status as myself..." she explained, observing the falling petals. "Or at least... someone with the potential to reach status comparable to my family. Family of heroes. In other words..." she looked at him. "Someone who could become a splendid hero in the future. Or someone who already has a high enough status..." she paused as her hands were tracing the tree bark, her body shifting in place ever so slightly. "Like... you, Todoroki-san. Or like Iida-san..." she uttered quietly and Todoroki's heartbeat skyrocketed.

He resolved to calm himself, however. Yaoyorozu has still rejected him, even if by her own admission, her family would be okay with him. If you think about it, that kind of approval wouldn't be surprising. Shouto was the son of Endeavor, the number 1 hero. He was also the ace student in U.A. hero course. And he was admitted through official recommendation, same as Yaoyorozu. It made sense. She also mentioned Iida, who's also from a famous hero family. Don't get over your head, Todoroki.

Besides, you still haven't got your answer. And the thought of Iida made you feel unpleasant.

"You have rejected me, though," Shouto said after a long pause. He turned to face the girl before adding: "Sorry, but I'd like to know the reason..." he asked her and the girl shifted in place once again. She gave him a quick look, before gazing away. Todoroki waited for an answer, but Momo was not giving him any. "Yaoyorozu..." he spoke and she flinched. She took a deep breath.

"It's..." the girl paused and hesitated. "It's just that I... Wanted to..." she looked away, apparently trying to find proper words. When she did, she gazed in Todoroki's direction once again. "I just wanted to keep... the status quo..." Momo whispered.

"The status quo?" Todoroki repeated, his heart beating fast in anxiety. "You mean... You have rejected me because you wanted us to stay..."

"Classmates... A-and friends..." the schoolgirl finished, looking at her feet in relative darkness. "I'm sorry... " she added. Her apology did nothing to calm Shouto's heart; contrary, the young aspiring hero felt even more chaos than before. His back hit the bark once again, as he stared down at the grass... Was this it? The end? Is there nothing to be done...? Todoroki's mind trailed off in different directions - it lasted a while before the boy calmed down a bit... Once he did, he gazed in the girl's direction and realized that his eyes have gotten used to the darkness.

He could see her more clearly... her hands in front of her torso, her fingers moving from time to time... her posture stiff. Her gaze directed at the ground, but not focused at all... Her lips curved down... Her expression... Well... Todoroki blinked.

Whatever she was feeling at the moment, it was nothing positive. The boy's palm rose to meet his chin. It was a moment or two later that something occurred to him. She told him why she decided to reject him, but something was off. She said she wants to keep the status quo. Her family status or approval was not the issue here, apparently. She certainly didn't mind his company before. And there was something she did not say. Todoroki swallowed and took a step toward the girl. Momo looked at him immediately... and he noticed it.

Her gaze was focused somewhere around his shoulder. Not his face, not his eyes. Todoroki took a deep breath before uttering his question.

"How do you feel about me, Yaoyorozu?" he whispered. The girl visibly flinched, before relaxing and slowly facing the boy. She was still gazing at the ground, as she shifted in place. The girl appeared as if she was gathering her resolve before she looked up. Her black orbs found Todoroki's dichromatic ones. And Shouto recognized something in them, something he found for a brief moment yesterday. This moment was brief as well: whatever resolve the girl gathered it was not enough to keep the eye contact for long.

"It's..." she started, as she grabbed the fabric of her shirt. "I..." she tried once more, before failing yet again. She looked away with a look of guilt on her face.

"I..." Todoroki said out loud, surprising the girl. "I like you, Yaoyorozu... I'm sorry if it makes you uncomfortable, but I really do..." he continued, hiding his hands behind his back. He was not going to fight the heat invading his face, nor he was going to control his heavy beating heart. He also couldn't control his hands shaking, hence he hid them from her view. If him stating his feelings first would help her, he'll gladly do so.

The girl didn't look very surprised at his confession... She had heard it already. That fact did nothing to protect her face from getting visibly red, even in the shadows. The girl gathered her resolve once again, her shirt-clenching palms let go of the fabric and joined together in front of her body. Yaoyorozu took a deep breath, looking the boy in his eyes.

That look again...

If the girl was about to say something right now, then she didn't get to do that immediately. Todoroki still hasn't finished.

"Remember how I was at first, Yaoyorozu?" He asked quietly and the girl managed to nod. "At the beginning of our first year, I didn't want to be anyone's friend. I thought it was a waste of time... But even then, I noticed your merit and respected you for it," he went on and Yaoyorozu fidgeted slightly. "You are from an official recommendation, just like me. During our very first test, you scored the best, surpassing me... You were smarter and more resourceful than me and I thought you would make a good class president... Hence I voted for you..." he went on and took a deep breath. "Then the Sports Festival happened... You have lost your confidence, but you recovered from that..." at that, the girl slowly shook her head, before looking in his eyes again.

"It was thanks to your help, Todoroki-san..." she whispered.

"Then months followed..." Shouto continued, not wanting to argue. The moment was as nerve-wracking as it could be already. "And I still respected you greatly... And then... Somewhere along the way... I realized that..." he took a deep breath, hesitating a moment. Making sure he still looks in her twin black orbs, he continued. "That I like you... The way a boy likes a girl..." he said, shifting in place, his hands clenching into fists in desperate attempt to prevent trembling. "I respect and appreciate you, Yaoyorozu... But I... Also, think that you are... really beautiful..." he added with a whisper and the girl shifted in place.

"Todoroki-san..." Momo gasped... Her hand clenched the fabric of her shirt once again, in the middle of her chest. She looked away from the boy's face. "I... I never told you..." she started slowly. Todoroki raised his brows, trying to ignore his hastily beating heart. "I never told you I don't like you back..." the girl took a deep breath and looked into the boy's eyes once again, "because... that is not... true..." she confessed and Todoroki saw it. Her palm was pressed to her chest where her heart was. Her trembling lips. Her gaze... he was certain now what that gaze was.

But besides that gaze, there was also sadness...

"You mean... Yaoyorozu, you...?"

"I... I like you, Todoroki-san..." she confessed quietly. "I apologize... for being unable to say it properly..." at this Momo stepped back a bit. Meanwhile, Todoroki was speechless. Yaoyorozu liked him. Momo Yaoyorozu actually has feelings for him! But the joy of the revelation was swiftly replaced by confusion. She might like you, Shouto, but she still decided to reject you. There is more to this situation than meets the eye...

Luckily, Yaoyorozu wasn't finished yet.

"At the beginning, I was kind of... similar to you..." she said after a long pause. "I... wasn't as cold as you but I... let myself get carried away with my ego..." Momo admitted, before looking away. "However, at the Sports Festival, Tokoyami-san taught me some humility... and you..." her fingers went to play with her dark locks. "You, Todoroki-san... you helped me afterward," she smiled. But that was a weak smile, not directed towards anyone in particular. She took a deep breath. "I felt similar to you... Eventually, I realized... that I have feelings for you..." Momo confessed, once again fidgeting, "I have always... thought of you as the most capable person in our class... You are also kind..." she continued, before giving him a quick look. "But I also can't disagree with some... general opinion."

"General... opinion?" Todoroki repeated, tense with anxiety.

"Yes..." Yaoyorozu continued, "That you... are the most handsome boy in our class..." at this point Yaoyorozu definitely was not eager to look into his eyes again. Todoroki understood that. Hearing compliments was usually nice, but right now, in this situation, things still required sufficient explanation. So, despite his beating heart and trembling body, he waited patiently for the girl to go on. "When I realized... how I feel... I did not know what to do..." Momo confessed, looking at the ground. "Jiro-san offered to be my sympathetic ear when I needed it... Including today..."

"So...she knows about your...?" that made sense.

"Yes... I was torn of what to do about it..." the girl continued. "I didn't know if you could... like me back... you seemed always focused on your hero training, after all..." she sent Todoroki a small smile. "Then, you started approaching me... and I... was still unsure what I wanted to do about it," Momo confessed. "It was obvious for me that you were making a move... and for the time being, it was fine and without consequences..."

Todoroki swallowed audibly.

"Until yesterday... You have confessed and I was all but ready... I panicked... and today..." she added and looked at Shouto's face. "I would be okay with waiting, with that status quo... until I was sure..." She let out a sad sigh. "But our feelings resulted in us...performing poorly..." she whispered and Todoroki felt his heart sinking. "It was an exercise, but still, it was serious!" Momo raised her voice a bit. "In a real-life situation as heroes, we won't lose points for bad performance. Lives will be lost! Ours, or worse, civilians! That is unacceptable..." her voice broke, as she once again touched the middle of her chest. "I deeply apologize, Todoroki-san... I regret it as well, but... We cannot date..." Yaoyorozu Momo said in regret and stepped back a bit. Todoroki's heart clenched at the revelation. He swallowed, trying and failing to control his trembling limbs.

"Do you really mean that?" Shouto asked in an empty voice. He noticed the girl nodded slowly.

"Please understand, Todoroki-san... I like you as well..." she whispered, "but we are future heroes. We mustn't let our feelings interfere with our training and then work... We are responsible for the lives out there!" the rich girl proclaimed. Todoroki could understand that... He performed badly, miserably even, for his own standards. Even if he himself was his own worst critic, that was undeniable. But still, something felt off.

"Wait a minute..." Todoroki spoke up after a while. "It was I that made a lot of mistakes, not you... And for me, those failures change little in the long run..." he admitted, and the girl looked at him with a question. The question was not verbal in nature, so the boy continued. "Being raised the way... I was... did things for me..." He confessed." I did a lot of mistakes, with consequences... And I still have some things to overcome... I will keep having those things to work on. And today, those were just another one of those things... Isn't that just part of the growth to become someone better?" Todoroki asked.

"Indeed... but contrary to what you said, I made serious mistakes as well." Momo countered and Shouto shifted in place. He raised his brows, scrutinizing the girl. If she was talking about the last moments of the match... she might be right... But otherwise...

"You were acting as a civilian, Yaoyorozu," he said dryly. "There was barely anything for you to do."

"Yet I failed!" Momo cried out, her palms clenching into fists. "I choose the plan! It was a poor, sub-optimal one!

"Aren't you going too hard on yourself?" the boy asked, genuinely concerned. "It was mine and Bakugo's idea to ask you for a plan... If anything, it was our failure that we didn't manage to agreed or anything..." he explained. "You actually saved us right there!" he argued. "Besides, not even Aizawa was criticizing the plan!"

"Even so, it doesn't change the fact that I did poorly..." Momo countered, looking at her feet, "Usually, I was able to work my plan around enemy's plan... and predict the unfortunate circumstances..." she sniffed, making Todoroki's heart clench. "This time around I could not predict anything..." she said with shame in her voice... Shouto took a step in her direction, but the girl flinched and stepped back..."Pathetic... and my emotions... Lead to such weak formation choice..."

"But our formation was not bad," Todoroki argued. "As you said, Bakugo, with his reflexes was a great choice for the rear guard. You had to be in the middle. That leaves me on the front..."

"Wrong..." the girl said, little more harshly than Shouto could have anticipated. "Due to Bakugo-san's reflexes, he should be in front...! He could react in time to everything, from any direction... You, Todoroki-san should be in the back... Your ice could be used to slow down any pursuit... which was exactly the thing we needed against Iida-san!" Momo explained. "Besides... after yesterday, I thought it would be awkward for you to stare at my back..."

"Yaoyorozu..."

"Worst of all, my emotions! They led me to sabotage our mission!" the girl exclaimed.

"You moved to protect me... Like a hero, right?" Todoroki asked. "I understand that it failed our team, but in real life, protecting others is-..."

"If it was because of my heroic resolve, it would be acceptable... But...!" Yaoyorozu confessed, her voice breaking. "I... I did it because I like you...!" She confessed, trembling and making Todoroki root in the spot. She sniffed, but before the boy could react she wiped her tear. "And I... should be better than this..." Momo said quietly. "My future... lives... and Yaoyorozu name is at stake..." she whispered, her entire body trembling.

Todoroki couldn't take this anymore. Every inch of his being ached as he stepped in Yaoyorozu's direction. He wanted to do something, anything, to make her feel better. However, he halted as the girl raised her small palm.

"I- it's okay..." she said quietly. She looked at him and send the boy a small, sad smile. "I am feeling better now... Just please understand... The way we are now... we cannot date... Or else our emotions will lead to failure..." her eyes were filled with sadness. "And that in the field will be unacceptable..." she exhaled, and then went on. "We are both in this elite school thanks to official recommendations. We both come from influential families, with heavy expectations on ourselves... We cannot afford ourselves to fail them..." she ended and went silent. Only the wind and rustling of the tree branches gave her any response.

Todoroki was lost in his thoughts.

Despite how he felt, a part of him agreed with Yaoyorozu. They certainly had a lot of expectations and burdens on their shoulders... She also told him things he actually knew... His own father often told him during his internship that failing in the field results in loss of life, instead of points in school... Yaoyorozu wasn't wrong here. She wasn't wrong in implying that as future heroes, they have a responsibility they cannot get away from. Yaoyorozu wasn't wrong in implying that they need to work on themselves. Just, something didn't sit well with Shouto still. And it wasn't just his desire to form a more meaningful relationship with that girl. That desire was there. It came from his feelings. But there was something other, that resulted in Todoroki's analytical mind.

True, heroes were responsible for lives. True, it came with a lot of pressure. True, both he and Yaoyorozu might be held to higher standards than average students... But still...

"Yaoyorozu..." Shouto started once again, his mind a bit clearer than before. He knew what he wanted to do, and even if that fails, it would be something worth trying. Better that than being regretful later. "You were observing the matches that followed after ours, right?" the girl nodded uncertainly and looked with a question in her gaze. Todoroki took a deep breath. "You must have noticed Kirishima and Ashido there..."

"Yes... I did..." Yaoyorozu admitted, her palm on her chin."Just what... do you want to say, Todoroki-san?" the girl questioned slowly.

"You know that Kirishima and Ashido are dating, right...?" he asked the girl after taking a deep breath.

"I am aware of that..." Momo said. "What...-"

"They can do it," Todoroki cut in and swallowed. "They can date each other, and still do their job as future heroes well... Even when facing against each other..." he said, when Yaoyorozu was opening her mouth. She raised her brows, before looking away. She saw it today, just as well as Todoroki did. These two going against each other, neither of them were holding back. A clash that resulted in a bandage on Kirishima's arm...

"What... are you trying to say, Todoroki-san?" the girl has questioned, her hands once again placed before her.

"If they can do it... Then surely we can as well..." he explained, taking a step forward. Yaoyorozu hasn't moved, her thin brows were raised. "As you said... we enrolled here due to official recommendations... we have many expectations on our shoulders... So, shouldn't we excel at this as well?" He questioned and it took Yaoyorozu a moment of silence before she managed to respond.

"How can you guarantee that we can succeed?" she whispered, looking up at the sakura petals above. "We have failed at it already..." the girl said in a small voice.

"I can't guarantee anything..." Todoroki answered honestly, before something occurred to him," except... The return to status quo is impossible now..." he said, making the girl flinch and look at him with anxiety. And maybe something more. Shouto took a deep breath. "Can you say with conviction, that we can go back to the way we were...?" he questioned and Momo hesitated with her answer…

"I..." she started, shifting her balance from one of her legs to another. "It… would be manageable… but you, Todoroki-san… And I..."

"We confessed..." Todoroki said, his heart beating fast. Yaoyorozu exhaled loudly before nodding nervously. "Yaoyorozu..." the boy continued in a whisper. "Before I approached you yesterday… I thought about a lot of things... About possible outcomes..." he looked at some pink petals above. "And I decided to act..." he gazed at the girl directly. "I thought that things could get worse if I was rejected… But I also thought it would be just another thing… to overcome..." he took a deep breath and continued. "But at the same time… nothing could guarantee things would stay well if I haven't acted at all..."

"Todoroki-san… I..." Momo said, her palm touching her warm face. "I... don't know..." she admitted. "I don't know what to do... neither I knew back then... nor I know right now..." she whispered.

"I am not sure either..." the boy answered honestly and made a step in her direction. The girl looked at him. "But... I thought that the best way to proceed was to... act on my feelings..." scratched his chin, looking slightly to the side. "It appeared as the best option for me... An option that can result in something good, even if the risk was there... then again..." he continued. "Can anything be achieved without a risk?" he wondered and was responded with silence. It lasted until Momo Yaoyorozu took a deep breath.

She surprised the boy, as she made a step in his direction. Her hands behind her back, her gaze slightly averted.

"Risk... there is much at stake, though ..." the girl said slowly before sighing. "I don't know... I don't know if I should take such a risk... What I want to do... and what I should do... are two different things..." Momo confessed, this time looking at the boy.

"Yaoyorozu..." Todoroki said looking the girl directly in the eyes. "I will support you... And help you in overcoming your obstacles... regardless of your decision..." He continued, taking another step towards the girl. "I am sure you would as well... you're that kind of person..." he added, but the girl didn't deny. They were looking each other in the eyes, standing face-to-face. "But, if I won't ask you this now... I know I would have regrets..." he whispered and stepped even closer to her, but he girl didn't answer - at least not verbally. But her dark eyes, her pretty face and trembling lips were saying a lot. Her hand went up, touching her heated cheek. Todoroki could swear that from this distance, this very close distance, he could hear her frantic heartbeat.

Or maybe it was Shouto's own.

Regardless, the brave boy made his move. He took Momo's small palm into his own. He realized she was trembling. Or maybe he was... It was impossible to tell. He still needed to tell her what he wanted. His anxiety, nerves, fears, and doubts be damned.

"I like you, Yao-momo," Todoroki confessed, and the girl's eyes widened. It was the first time he actually used her nickname. Their eyes were saying what their lips couldn't at the moment. "Please go out with me," Todoroki whispered, still looking deep into her eyes. Shouto's face was all in heat and he could have sworn his face was all covered in red... But looking at Yaoyorozu, he was sure his flush was nowhere near hers. Seconds have passed, seconds that required the boy to display a very specific type of courage. Courage that made him lost in her eyes. The look in her black orbs changed several times as if reflecting the struggle inside the girl. But finally, Momo Yaoyorozu moved. Her cheek-holding palm fell slightly, as she raised one finger before Todoroki's face. The boy raised his dichromatic brows.

"I... have conditions..." she said and her disposition changed. Her black, beautiful eyes now meant business.

"I am listening," Todoroki responded.

"First of all, Todoroki-san... If we are to date each other, we cannot keep it a secret..." Momo said with surprising confidence.

Todoroki cursed inwardly. He would very much like to keep it a secret. At least for some time - he wasn't very eager to experience the annoying reactions of his classmates. Not to mention some other things... But apparently, all of that was visible on his face.

"If we are to be an example for others, then we cannot hide it, Todoroki-kun," the girl said earnestly. "Also, I want to be honest with my family at all times..." she explained and Todoroki nodded.

"I can promise you that..." the Shouto answered and then added: "I would rather wait with telling my family about it... especially my father. But if this is a condition then I-..."

"I can give you a week of secrecy. But I'll let my family know right away." Momo suggested after a slight sigh. "Also, for clarity... I do think we should inform our classmates soon... It would be better that way, instead of letting them come up with... overblown rumors..." once again she blushed brightly. In an adorable way.

"I understand... And agree." Todoroki said, briefly wondering what kind of rumors could possibly embarrass her so much. Shouto himself would most likely consider them an annoyance at worst... But speaking about not keeping their relationship a secret, Shouto actually promised Kendo to let her know, so... the secrecy was never much of a choice.

Momo gave him a smile. And his heart melt.

"Another condition..." she said in serious tone again. "No displays of affection during school time. Or patrols. Or internships..."

"Understandable," was Todoroki's response. "And I agree."

"Third condition..." Momo continued and took a deep breath. "If things won't improve regarding our performance... If we won't overcome the challenges ahead... I'm sorry, but we'll need to end this," she stated and Todoroki frowned. Momo sighed. "Maybe not once and for all... I am not sure about the future..." Momo admitted. "But... You know what I mean, Todoroki-kun... We will be responsible for people's lives..."

"I agree..." Todoroki and then added: "though... wouldn't you say our problem... was yesterday?" the boy asked Yaoyorozu, and she frowned, before answering.

"Come to think of it Todoroki-kun..." she started, this time her voice was small, more unsure. "We felt... a certain way... about each other for a while... and most of the time..."

"There were no problems like today..." Shouto finished for her. "It appeared when our..."

"...Feelings were disturbed..." Yaoyorozu whispered, before shaking her head a bit. She was once again in earnest mode. "We can work on it... But once again, do you accept this condition, Todoroki-kun?"

"I am..." Todoroki answered.

"Final condition," Yaoyorozu's lips curved in a kind of smile the boy didn't expect. A feisty kind of smile. "The U.A. Sports Festival... Don't you dare to go easy on me there...Or anywhere else for that matter!"

"Easy?" Todoroki repeated, "I'll destroy the competition. Don't worry about it," he added.

"You will try, Todoroki-kun. You will try..." Momo said and her lips curved in a smile. The kind of that made Todoroki's heart dance.

"Will you go out with me, Yao-momo?" the boy repeated his question. It was hard to tell which of them trembled more, as their fingers intertwined.

"Yes, Todoroki-kun," the girl whispered shyly. "Please take good care of me..." she added.

Yaoyorozu hasn't predicted his next action. Todoroki failed this prediction as well. He couldn't predict something inside of him breaking. Or maybe fixing? Regardless, he was surprised by his own move. Their fingers separated, only for Shouto to embrace the girl, swiftly and tightly, his face landing next to hers... Their cheeks were touching, their bodies were pressing together and Momo flinched in shock. But after her initial surprise, the young girl has relaxed and returned the embrace, bringing her boyfriend even closer.

Shouto found himself surprisingly light as if a heavy burden was taken off his shoulders. He embraced the girl tighter, closing his eyes, his head leaning into her. Momo accepted him, letting them melt into one being, one soul. The young, newly formed couple stopped trembling in as the time passed and begun enjoying their closeness and warmth instead. Momo Yaoyorozu couldn't for the life of hers predict Shouto Todoroki to be the cuddly type, but she was certainly surprised. She didn't mind.

And neither did Shouto. They were unaware of the passing time... but eventually, they leaned back a bit, just enough to look into each other's eyes.

"I-i... never told you this, Todoroki-kun..." Momo whispered, "but you really have a beautiful smile..."

"I do?" Todoroki raised his brows. Was he letting out a smile at the moment?

"Yes..." Momo said, sending him a smile of her own. Todoroki thought no smile could rival hers, but he was no there to argue...

"So Yao-momo... how does that bowling club sounds?" Shouto asked and the girl raised her brows. "Or maybe you would prefer...-"

"Just... Tell me where and when, Todoroki-kun," the girl responded before their embrace tightened once again. Apparently, they won't let go of each other so soon...

They were standing right there, under a sakura tree. The sun has nearly finished its traverse on the sky, resulting in long shadows that covered the newly formed couple from the prying eyes. Sakura petals were dancing on the wind, stealing most of the attention of potential witnesses. All of that allowed Shouto Todoroki and Momo Yaoyorozu some privacy, much required to satisfy their newly awakened need of closeness. If someone was about to look in their general direction, all he or she would see was a figure of two young students, embracing each other. Such a person wouldn't be able to work out any details, however.

And it was good. The details would only be known to the young couple alone.

* * *

 _This is it. It lasted longer than I have anticipated, but it is finished. I don't mean only this chapter, but a story as a whole. Initially, it was supposed to be a simple, 2-3 chapters story, but of course, it had to escalate from that... Overall, I am satisfied with what I wrote, even if there were some things I would like to elaborate on... Also, the story is from Shouto's perspective (mostly), which was good decision, but which also makes writing about how Momo feels and why she acts like she does more difficult..._

 _Things to elaborate on, Momo's perspective... This is the part I want to say the following: I plan to make an **epilogue omake** to this story. That's one. Two, make a **one-shot sequel** to this story, from Yaoyorozu's POV. I will be able to elaborate on some things and also do something more Momo-focused. I hope you'll be interested, dear readers._

 _Now, **responses to some reviews** :_

 _ **fencer29** \- I can totally see Aizawa thinking like that... had All Might not remind his pupils that following the rules here was also important. Overall, I think Aizawa is the type that would not make unnecessary sacrifices, but still makes sacrifices when needed. _

**_The Last Cowboy_** _\- Thank you for your review and I am glad that you not only see Todoroki is flawed in the story, but that you also appreciate that. I don't know if the conclusion is epic enough for your expectations, but I hope I was able to get at least one "awww" out of it :)_

 ** _Xellos540 -_** _With the possibility of Momo being on the other team, I am leaving it to the trivia section :). Bakugo... Oh Bakugo. He is a very angry frog... I mean person, but he is all but stupid. He knows that he isn't the best at anything - as much as he would like to be, he is aware that Momo is better at planning and a better leader than him. As for Momo and Todoroki being professional... I disagree and they both stand with me on that :p.  
_

 _Finally, for most enduring readers, some **trivia**._

 _Chapter 1:_

 _\- The game 2-A class is playing is based on Blazblue. It is rather obvious to anyone who has played it, still, I decided to not drop a title. I imagined the MHA universe has its own variants of Arc System Networks games. In which, for example, the characters did not have "Drives", but rather... "Quirks" :p. Also, Momo chose Tsubaki as her character, and Todoroki chose Jin. Not only these two are as close to the official couple as possible without being one, but also Jin uses Ice which goes well with Todoroki. Also, their vs theme song is awesome._

 _\- The fic is rated T, so I decided to include only one F-bomb. In this chapter, with Midoriya's clueless interruption :)_

 _\- This fic made me learn how to write "Yaoyorozu" swiftly and without mistakes._

 _Chapter 2:_

 _\- I totally forgot about something important here. Todoroki used an MHA-variation of Skype to call his sister for the advice... But I forgot the freaking cellphones existed! When I realized that, I facepalmed hard... This was something so obvious and story-changing, yet I missed that! Shouto could easily text his sister, instead of making a call via his laptop. He could easily text one of his classmates with a question, or at least to make an appointment. That would make "girl moving in herds" bit non-existent._

 _\- Of course, I based "girls moving in herds" thing on Harry Potter. Thank you, J.K Rowling._

 _\- Itsuka Kendo. At first, I wanted to include her here just because I like the character, but in canon, she is kinda hanging out with Momo (in the manga, they are officially friendly rivals) so it makes her knowing something about Yaoyorozu more plausible. Plus, she has more reasons to help out Todoroki than just a teasing material against Momo. Also, about Kendo, she claims Shouto isn't really her type. I imagine her type is straight-up, manly and honest individuals, even to a fault... With a body of steel._

 _\- Kirishima and Mina. One of the pairing I shipped for some time in MHA. I included these two for a reason, which is actually important in the last chapter. Also, from all A-class pairings I ship, KiriMina is more likely to happen anytime soon... Simply because Kirishima does not suffer from a heart attack when speaking to girls and Mina does not sing "I won't say I'm in love" song. Plus, Mina is a romantic soul of sorts and a straight-up shipper._

 _Chapter 3:_

 _\- Todoroki and Momo are playing MHA version of Trine games. I have not any particular Trine game in mind, except it needed to be 2D. So Trine 3 was out of a question. Anyways, as I was writing it I found it interesting that characters from MHA universe might find lack of Quirks interesting, especially someone who's as uncultured and out of the loop as Todoroki._

 _\- Jiro and Tsu-chan are watching the game for a reason. Maybe you'll learn of that reason sometime in the future._

 _Chapter 4:_

 _\- I've thought about several variations on how I was supposed to do Aizawa's special test/exercise/training. First I thought of Momo and Todoroki going up against each other, but it didn't fit the story at all. Then I came up with the team vs team idea, with a tension between Todoroki and Yaoyorozu disturbing the teamwork and latter leading them to failure. I initially wanted Todoroki to be a civilian, but him breaking the rules and using his Quirk to save Momo from trouble would only reinforce what the reader already knows - he cares about her. But when we reverse the roles, then some questions can arise from that. I found the latter variant more interesting and contributing more to the story. I only regretted not trolling Todoroki more._

 _\- I enjoyed writing the action scenes the most and I think the way I wrote that was very MHA-like._

 _\- Since our class A dorks are in their second year now, I took some liberty on how they can improve their Quirk or prowess in general. In Mineta's case, he could bounce off out of his orbs with notable speed... So I thought that adding heavy gauntlets to his arsenal could be useful for him. Speed + weight = power. I think I kinda made Mineta not-so-useless and I feel quite good about that._

 _\- Shouji... I imagined his quirk improving in a certain direction, to be more octopus-like in addition to straight-up improvements. Not only being able to replicate some of his organs and limbs, but creating a copy of itself. He already can detach those additional limbs from his body. Add some of octopi abilities, like changing color and texture to their skin and we have what I came up with. I am quite satisfied with the idea._

 _\- Todoroki is being Todoroki, so he had no idea what Mineta meant by "that was smooth". Of course, Minoru would be jealous of Todoroki not only carrying Momo for a while but also having her land on top of him. The laws of anime need to apply, no exceptions._

 _Chapter 5:_

 _\- Believe me or not, I never played Old Maid and so I apologize if the description of the game is off. I played our Polish variant of the game, though._

 _\- Why Old Maid? Well, my initial ideas were either Poker or Uno. I choose not to go with Uno because that game can make people go after each other's throat sometimes :p. As for Poker, I would wish to go with it, but I couldn't justify in-story reasons why Todoroki would agree to bother learning how to play it._

 _\- Remember kids, always have in mind things while writing. I wanted Kirishima to give Todoroki a pep talk, since 1) Kiri is a good boi. 2) He has experience with a girlfriend. 3) Even Horikoshi-sensei created Kirishima as one of the characters to "bring the class together". He fir. But then again, I decided Todoroki would need to be convinced first, so I added Izuku as well... Shouto trusts him the most, but I haven't given Deku much of screentime in this story. It was a mistake._

 _\- Jiro is included for a reason to be possibly learned in a future._

 _\- On the other hand, the inclusion of Setsuna Tokage was unnecessary. I included her as a joke I alone can laugh at. I was disappointed by her in the manga, so I decided she will be as useful in this story as she is in the canon :p. You can say in this story she is "inside joke meme cameo"._

 _\- The entire talk between Momo and Shouto. Goddamn, that required many rewrites but overall, I think it came up quite good. I really hope both of their thoughts, reasons, and feelings are good enough. If not, please let me know, even the harshest feedback will do._

 _That being said, what exactly occurred between the two in an embrace is left to the interpretation for a reason._

* * *

 _That would be it. If you managed to read to the end, know I send you my thanks. I hope you enjoyed the story and you'll also enjoy what's more to come._

 _Happy New Year, once again!_

 _- **ZelgadisGW**_


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